The Mother Of It All

Poet and author Nancy Reddy joins us to discuss her forthcoming book, The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom (pre-order it now!). In it, Nancy explores the historical, cultural, and scientific roots of many of our modern ideas about ‘goodness’ + motherhood, like attachment parenting. Spoiler alert: they’re pretty sketchy. Links: * Take our survey about parents and the pandemic (thank you!)* The Good Mother Myth by Nancy Reddy* Nancy’s piece in Slate on the Golden Hour* The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood* Jessica Valenti on Mother Tongue* The Texas OB-GYN Exodus (The New Yorker) * Marielle Heller Profile (The New Yorker)* Women Who Run With Wolves: Myths & Stories Of The Wild Woman Archetype by * 1996: The Year That Shook Hip-Hop* Pre-order The Good Mother Myth and join Nancy and Maggie Smith in February for a live conversation! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

If any season is movie-watching season, it’s now. When we knew we wanted to make a Christmas movie-focused episode, 2008’s A Christmas Tale and 2005’s The Family Stone sprang to mind right away: These are matriarch-centric Christmas movies that take the whole mom-at-Christmastime thing to the Nth degree. Each in their own way, they put the intense time we spend gathered together with our families of origin at the holidays under a microscope. So, what do The Family Stone and A Christmas Tale have in common? Just about everything, except that one is American and has Dermot Mulroney at his hottest(?) and the other is extremely French and involves a LOT of people smoking cigarettes non-stop. We get dig under the surface of these two films — both of which are centered around big families gathered at the holidays around powerful, complicated matriarchs — with our (new) friends Andie and Sabrina of the Pop Culture Moms podcast.Links: * A Christmas Tale* The Family Stone* Pop Culture Moms on Apple Podcasts, Instagram, and Spotify This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Feminist writers Tracy Clark-Flory and Amanda Montei join Sarah and Miranda for Part 2 of our discussion on relationships between men and women (listen to Part 1 here). We talk about the post-election landscape of gender relations — including the rise in both misogynistic rhetoric interest in boycotting men. Is this a gender war or a war on women? Is feminism responsible for the young male Trump voter? What do men and women owe each other, and what do we do with the men in our lives? Links:* Sophie Kemp on Gen Z Men (LA Review of Books) * Jia Tolentino on the Gender Wars (The New Yorker) * The Warrior Mamas Who Elected Trump: Why Tradwife Ideology Continues To Matter (via In Pursuit of Clean Countertops) * Blue Marriage and The Terror of Divorce by Anne Helen Petersen * A feminist utopianism : Sophie Lewis argues against the 'fatalism' of both 4B and heteropessimism, and calls for a collective movement built on solidarity. (via TCF Emails ) * It’s not the economy. It’s the misogyny. (via Mad Woman) * The “Your Body My Choice” movement This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 1 of our jam-packed conversation with feminist writers Tracy Clark-Flory and Amanda Montei, Sarah and Miranda attempt to unpack why this has been such a big year for examining sex in hetero-marriage, the specter of patriarchy haunting all of our marital beds, and whether or not good sex is possible anymore in a hetero-marriage. Links:* Amanda Montei’s “Can a Sexless Marriage Be a Happy One? Can a Sexless Marriage Be a Happy One?” in the New York Times Magazine* Liars by Sarah Manguso* All Fours by Miranda July* Tracy on The Endless Repetition of Heterosexuality* Want by Gillian Anderson* Anne Hathaway’s The Idea Of You * Nicole Kidman’s Babygirl* Ester Perel* Tracy Clark-Flory’s fabulous newsletter, TCF Emails and her book, Want Me.* Amanda Montei’s fabulous newsletter, Mad Woman, and her book, Touched Out. Culture Recs:* Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women and the related television series* Brian Jordan Alvarez This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Writer Janet Manley joins us to break down her recent piece, “Pity the Dadfluencers: Their content is for men, but their audience is all women.” We dig into all of our favorite -isms: sexism, feminism, social media-ism (just roll with it), parasocial relationships, plus Wild Robot, Nightbitch, and what the heck you’re supposed to do with all those baby teeth. Links:* Chelsea Conaboy on The Wild Robot* Arnold of the Ducks* KAFKA'S BABY Janet’s newsletter* The Real Sarah Miller by Sarah Miller* Laurie Stone’s Everything is Personal* Attachments by Lucas Mann, and our interview with Lucas* Drawing Links by Edith Zimmerman* Looking at Picture Books by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen* Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Sarah and Miranda are checking in the morning after the election on what’s going through our minds, how we’re thinking about motherhood and our kids, and whether it’s too soon to do silver linings. With a special appearance from Nellie, three-year-old witch.Links:* Amanda Montei says “It’s not the economy, it’s misogyny.” * Witch podcast on BBC* Seven Year B***h is the today’s soundtrack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Lauren Lapkus, an actor and comedian known for her roles in "Orange is the New Black" and "Crashing," joins writer-director Nora Fiffer, whose film "Another Happy Day" explores postpartum depression. They share hilarious and poignant anecdotes about the chaos of early motherhood and the often-ignored struggles of new moms. The discussion highlights the need for more postpartum stories in Hollywood, the importance of humor amidst the challenges, and how supportive environments can enhance productivity in creative fields.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit motherofitall.substack.com*This is a paid-subscriber only episode. To become a subscriber, click HERE and sign up for any level of paid membership. P.S. If you subscribe as a “founding member” we’ll send you a snazzy Mother Of It All tote bag. Join us as we hash Halloween out. Do we believe in the Switch Witch? DIY costumes: Y/N? Should Halloween happen at school? Do we have to …

No one wants to think about school shootings. But nearly every day in our country, a gun is fired on a campus. Often, when that happens, entire student bodies are then traumatized by spending hours in lockdown. David Riedman of the K-12 school shooting database — an unparalleled collection of data about school shootings that has been used as a resource by publications like The Economist and New York Times, as well as organizations like the FBI— joins Sarah and Miranda to talk about the thing none of us want to talk about but that we absolutely must: American school’s gun violence problem. Links: * David’s Substack* David’s Podcast* Robin Cogan* ​​https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/16/opinion/gabby-giffords-its-the-guns-its-always-the-guns.html* Violence Prevention Project* Everytown This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

What if we considered care to be a sacred practice? What if the everyday tasks of parenting were backtracked by the dramatic score of the British Baking Show? Elissa Strauss, author of When You Care: Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others joins Sarah and Miranda to mull over what it would mean to value care as a society and in our personal lives. We talk about trusting others with your children, why it’s so fraught to admit you like being a parent, alloparents, the Hero’s Journey, and kids singing Lean on Me. Plus, Elissa gives us some free couples therapy!Links* Elissa’s Book, When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others* Elissa Strauss’s Substack, Made with Care* Elissa’s Slate Piece: It’s a Weird Time to Be a Happy Mom* Economist Nancy Folbre* A Thousand and One Movie* The Care Justice Movement* Alloparenting * Rosalynn Carter* Sarah Blaffer HrdyCulture Recs* Young Sheldon* The Golden Spoon This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe