Well the biggest thing that happened in May is that Annie joined our family.
It has been a whirlwind and she’s partly to blame for the tardiness of this roundup. I’ve had dogs in the past, but she’s my first puppy — just 12 weeks — and I was entirely unprepared for the demands on my time, attention, patience…it goes on. As I hope is very clear from the premise of Bad Mothers, I have deep respect for mothers and the sacrifices they make. This experience with Annie has only deepened that respect because I can’t imagine how much harder it is with a human. In any case, she’s adorable and very sweet, so I’m coping.
On to the rest of the news this month…
While I don’t think any of us should be compelled to share our stories, they are powerful. This Sisters in Survival event will do just that to help advance women’s rights.
Maggie from
shared this disappointing article from BBC about family estrangement.This piece by Diana Fox Tilson explains how her own estrangement has been the best solution for her, and how she has seen other clients struggle through the same decision.
On the topic of difficult mothers dying, this essay in LitHub is a poignant look at all the complications in these relationships, as well as those of being a mother.
When I became a mother of young children, I experienced the mother-rage that women experience when their work, their creativity, their patience, and their very ability to focus are undermined on a daily basis.
This segment on BBC Women’s Hour is a couple years old but I enjoyed the discussion about narcissistic mothers, especially this comment from Helen Villiers:
A final estrangement story, from The Economist. This one annoyed me quite a bit, because the reporter’s summary seems to blame social media “therapy,” helicopter parenting or being best friends with children for an increase in estrangement (which is not even verified by data). Therapists reported they have seen an uptick in patients reporting going no-contact, but lots of reporting also seems to blame therapists for advising patients to do so — something about which I have strong doubts.
For some lighthearted stuff:
I’m watching The Better Sister with Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks and so far it’s pretty good. We get some dysfunctional family dynamics and semi-estranged sisters who are reunited after a murder.
In spite of negative reviews, the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale has been thoroughly entertaining. We got a later start in the U.K. than the U.S., so we’re only on episode 5. No spoilers please.
Finally, I’m excited to watch the new season of Ginny and Georgia. The mother-daughter relationship in that show is full of love but with lots of complications.