Maternal Desire: On Children, Love, and the Inner Life - Softcover

De Marneffe, Daphne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316110280 ISBN 13: 9780316110280

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2005

Synopsis

As revolutionary as The Second Sex and as controversial as Backlash, this book will transform readers' thinking about the place of child rearing in women's lives. Immediately acclaimed by readers ranging from Allison Pearson to Carol Gilligan, from Daphne Merkin to Mary Matalin.

About this title

About the Author:

Daphne de Marneffe, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has lectured nationally on the subject of maternal desire. She has three young children and lives in California.

From Publishers Weekly:

"A professional friend of mine," writes de Marneffe, "says that every time she sees a new book about mothers... she feels mingled dread and hope as a question instantly pops into her mind: 'Is it for me or against me?'-"i.e., will the book say that children benefit more from the consistent care given by stay-at-home mothers or from the financial prerogatives provided by working mothers? De Marneffe, a clinical psychologist who divides her time between work and caring for her three children, wants to reframe the question. What, she asks, does the mother want? What if a woman raises her children because she finds it fulfilling? Rarely, purports de Marneffe, does the "public discourse take account of the embodied, aching desire to be with their children that many mothers feel." De Marneffe studies, among other things, feminism (which, she says, fought for the right to have children but neglected the right to care for children), the feelings of ambivalence and pleasure in raising children and the role of other care providers (including fathers) as she strives to evaluate a woman's need to nurture her children. By examining both sides-the corporate woman who yearns to be home with her children, and the full-time mom who finds the boredom oppressive-de Marneffe avoids sounding judgmental. Her book, with its academic tone, isn't light reading, and many of her ideas taken individually are controversial (e.g., her view that "domestic work complements caring for children"). But she offers a fascinating analysis that's a welcome addition to the dialogues about motherhood.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0316110280
• ISBN 13: 9780316110280
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432