66. Rage and Anger in Motherhood

What remains ‘under the surface’ in Motherhood and still so taboo to talk about directly? ‘Mom-rage’. Minna Dubin published two articles in The New York Times on maternal rage. In this conversation we reflect on Minna’s experience of publishing on this taboo topic, as well as her journey in writing a book about ‘mom rage’ due out in 2023 (available for pre-order in 2022 through her website below). Minna is a writer, workshop facilitator and occasional public artist, located in California. Her essays and reported stories on motherhood and identity have appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Parents, HuffPost, The Forward, Hobart, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. You can read Minna’s articles that we refer to in this episode here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/parenting/mother-rage.html?module=editors-picks&action=click®ion=2 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/parenting/mom-rage-pandemic.html I ask Minna about her experience of writing a book about such a taboo topic, and she shares some insights from those she has interviewed. We reflect on the cycles of anger and guilt, shame spirals, factors that exacerbate maternal rage, the privilege that is drawn on in order to talk about this topic, how ‘speaking things into existence’ can make them seem more real, and why we are working to resist pathologization while still acknowledging the linking of maternal rage/anger with maternal mood disorders. . . . You can connect with Minna through her website and be sure to keep an eye out for the release of her book - http://minnadubin.com/ . . . Access Sophie’s free training on her sociological model of Motherhood here: https://drsophiebrock.com/freetraining Learn more about the certification beginning Sept 20th here: https://drsophiebrock.com/motherhoodstudies/ Access Sophie’s free training on the anger-guilt-trap cycle in Motherhood here: https://drsophiebrock.com/anger-guilt-trap . . . *Anger can be both normal, and a feature of a postnatal mood disorder such as postnatal depression or anxiety, please contact a health professional if you feel overwhelmed by maternal anger or rage. If you are experiencing anger or maternal rage that interferes with your daily life that you feel you cannot control, please make an appointment with your GP or trusted healthcare professional. Normalising the spectrum of emotions women as mothers feel does not equate with condoning aggression towards or neglect of children. . . . Support lines Australia - https://www.panda.org.au/ - 1300 726 306 UK - https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/ - 0808 1961 776 USA - https://www.postpartum.net/ - Text “Help” to 800-944-4773 (EN)