“But I don’t think Dr. Sears really understands the extent of his own sexism. The form of attachment parenting he espouses puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on women, and as a pediatrician he has no concept of adult mental health. To say that “babywearing prevents depression” or that “breastfeeding relaxes women so much that they don’t need antidepressants” is medically irresponsible. It really concerns me that mothers and fathers are reading these statements and taking them as gospel, and they’re feeling like failures because they don’t measure up to the Sears standard—which in turn makes them more anxious and depressed. I lived and died by The Baby Book for the first six months of my son’s life before I realized that Dr. Sears doesn’t have all the answers and that in fact some of his answers are wrong. Some parents—parents of multiples, single parents, two-earner families—can’t do all of the five Bs or whatever. I’ve never seen anyone sling twins. I’m sure it’s possible, but just because something is possible doesn’t mean that every mother can and should do it and sucks as a parent if she doesn’t. If you are depressed, reasoning qualitatively about all this dogma is really hard for you. Let mothers make their own choices and don’t make them feel like shit if they’re Not Martha.”
- Inconsolable: A Conversation with Marrit Ingman by Stacey Greenberg | Hipmama.com
- Inconsolable: A Conversation with Marrit Ingman by Stacey Greenberg | Hipmama.com