Pregnancy and Parenting: Parenting

Parenthood is sublime.  It can make us feel unexpectedly kind, loving, and protective.  On the other hand, it can also make us feel angry, resentful and simply exhausted.   Unfortunately, women have been taught that negative maternal emotions are unseemly and downright unnatural.   We are taught to suppress and keep up that smile!
 
Further,  the social factors that make our jobs as parents harder are de-legitimated.  The homophobia that gay/lesbian parents experience, the racism that people of color deal with daily, and the denigration that poor women and/or those on welfare must persevere are endemic.    Yet, we are supposed to not only ignore these "difficulties," but believe that hostility directed at parents is caused by (lack of) child-rearing abilities rather than systematic oppression.

Hopefully, some of the resources below can help make sense out of the nonsensical.    Scroll down for book suggestions

Family Tree
For gay/lesibian parents, this is a great organization in St. Louis.  Ph:  314-995-4631

Hip Mama
These people will make you laugh about daring to have those "unnatural" maternal feelings.

Mothering Magazine
Read in more than 65 countries, Mothering is the only independently owned,  family living magazine in the world. We address contemporary health, personal, environmental, medical, and lifestyle issues in an upbeat,  intelligent, compassionate, and courageous way. Each issue contains philosophical inspiration and practical advice about family living. Topics are as diverse as circumcision, vaccinations, organic  foods, childhood illnesses, home birth, ear infections, parenting teens, web  site information, midwifery, and homeopathy.
 

Books:
Mothers Who Think  edited by Camille Peri and Kate Moses.
Editors Camille Peri and Kate Moses have created a chorus with range: this is not a stream of white, privileged voices interrupted only occasionally by news from the underclass, news from women ofcolor, or news from sexual minorities

Breeder  edited by Ariel Gore and Bee Lavender
The voices of mothers--the real in-the-trenches voices of mothers--always threaten the status quo. Tell the truth about your ambivalence, rage, and passion--whether about miscarriage, breast pumps,   or (as profiled here) your welfare-avoidance job as a stripper--and watch the general public recoil.

Operating Instructions by Annie Lamott
The most honest, wildly enjoyable book written about motherhood is surely Anne Lamott's accountof her son Sam's first year

Dr.Sears has a number of books that provide alternative parenting tips.