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The Uber-Mommy

In a article titled "The Missing Joy" in The New Republic the author Ruth Franklin quotes Marjorie Williams "American women - can-do daughters of their country's optimism - still secretly nourish a poignant hope that there is An Answer to the dilemma of work and family. On a personal level, and as a matter of social policy, we often seem to be waiting for the No-Fault Fairy to come and explain at last how our deepest conflict can be managed away"

The observations in the article translate fairly well for working mothers anywhere. We are all waiting for the No-Fault Fairy. In the meanwhile, we have collectively succumbed to the Mommy Mystique which is also quoted in the article from a book by Judith Warner - Perfect Madness

" The Mommy Mystique tells us that we are the luckiest women in the world - the freest, with the most choices, the broadest horizons, the best luck, and the most wealth. It says we have the knowledge and know-how to make "informed decisions" that will guarantee the successful course of our children's lives. It tells us that if we choose badly our children will fall prey to countless dangers -from insecure attachment to drugs to kidnapping to a third-rate college...We are convinced that every decision we make, every detail we control, is incredibly important."

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