I've been following the debate surrounding
Erica Jong's article in the wall street journal critiquing Attachment parenting, mainly for being too demanding on women, and not allowing them the time to be involved in political
activism, in fact she calls it a tool for the political right. Now, I don't usually rant in this space- but excuse me just this once.
I've been noticing this trend for a while- that the tenets of attachment parenting come under attack for being too hard on the mothers- things like
Baby wearing, breastfeeding and co-sleeping all
exist under a microscope, any possible danger is weighed so carefully and the practice is questioned. These things make life much easier for the mother, you can either carry your kid everywhere, or put it in a sling, buy food for it or breastfeed it, wake up at night and disturb your own sleep or sleep with the kid, it's not about fashion, or a choice, because for most women the choice is not there, they can't afford child care and so if you have a child you care for it,- in whatever way is easiest for you, it's that simple. I have a theory that these practices are so challenged in mainstream society because they are so politically challenging, they challenge the way we look at individualism, and food supply, and western ideas and ideals.
The assumption that Ms.
Jong makes is that women who are at home raising their children (especially the ones in the "prison" of attachment parenting), are operating only in the private sphere, she assumes as do many academic feminists, that mothering takes place outside of the public sphere- meaning that it does not affect our public institutions, politics, economics, or practices. I would argue the opposite, the raising of children is most
definitely a political act; in the ways that we sort out the challenges of feeding our families, divide labour in the home, and shape our children's viewpoints. While they occur in the private sphere, these actions affect the public sphere in many ways.
The personal is political after all- a mother who buys organic, and cloth diapers, and breast feeds, one who raises her children to know how to solve conflict in a gentle manner, or even to cook is affecting how our world runs. Not to get too
Marxist here, but the idea that women's unpaid labour somehow exists outside of the political is naive at best, and it does women a great disservice- it assumes that the work that falls to women (and
likely always will-unless someone figures out how to get a man pregnant), such as mothering, is less important than paid work outside the home. It assumes that the only way for women to affect change, and to impact the world we live in, is to put aside 'women's work' for 'men's work', and that argument is a dangerous one.
Okay, rant done, thanks for indulging me.
also I've figured out how to get a non-blurry photo,
chocolate- of course- garaunteed to slow down any kid, at least temporarily.
Hi- it's been busy around here- sewing, cleaning, baking, decorating, egg nog imbibing. Also my posting has been limited by the fact that N wants to see the camera every time I turn it on- so most of my pictures look like this:
But anyways...Merry Christmas to you all...I wish you blurry and joyous photos.
Hi all, I'm having a few slow days around here- not that they're really slow we've been busy- but they're not really blog worthy-plus my oven's been broken for the last week and it's getting me down- no Christmas baking! seriously?? Not to mention that sourdough starter just sitting there in the fridge. The new element for the oven should come in the next day or two, it's the second one we've ordered- our stove is old-maybe 20 years old I'd guess-and the first element we got was the only one like it in all of Canada, but it wasn't the right one, so now we're on element number 2, and this one better fit, or K's going to have to make it fit. 
It's the first year that I've decorated outside the house- and I'm loving how festive it feels- it really didn't take very long, but it's gone a long way towards our holiday spirit. The inside of the house is still a work in progress, but we'll get it decorated soon enough. What's making you feel festive this year?
My starter sitting pretty with a layer of yeasty smelling liquid (called "hooch" in sourdough lingo) bubbling on top.
I've been repeatedly shocked at how often looking at my child has served as a mirror for myself, but this is probably the most hilarious thing- 'talking' on the phone while drinking coffee. She always walks when she's on the phone (we've given her an old one to use- without batteries), and occasionally she also pretends to drink coffee at the same time, it's darn cute, this multi-tasking mimicry. And I know, she's my kid so I think it's all cute, but I have to say I'm really impressed with her ability to copy my postures and phrasing- she makes sounds as though she's waiting for the other person to talk, laughs occasionally, says longer phrases mixed with short ones, leans on tables, it's a very convincing performance.
Hi there, I'm Angela, and I'm a procrastinator, and not just with unpleasant things. I say that I want to do stuff, simple stuff, like make sourdough bread, or clean out a closet- then it takes me months- or years even- to do it. Don't get me wrong, I get stuff done- but I always seem to p have a few things that take forever to get done, when they shouldn't.
This is my Grandma and Grandpa- both passed on now- on their wedding day in 1942. My Grandpa fought overseas in the Second World War, my grandmother waited anxiously for letters from him, my mother had to wait until she was two before she met her father. It's hard sometimes to remember how close we are to that war, how many people were truly affected, and the impact it had on us, all of us. This picture does that for me, the fact that my grandfather was married in his uniform brings it all home, the sacrifices, and fear, and pride that were all part of that time period, things that I don't have to deal with, and things that other families deal with even now, sadly. My heart goes out to anyone who has a family member in the military, I hope they're safe and sound.
This fog has hung around our house for the past few days- I'm taking it as a sign that winter is on it's way- even though the forecast is only calling for a touch of snow. When the yard is like this, it feels like we're separate from the rest of the world somehow, as though you'd need some sort of password to get through. Despite its potential gloominess, I love this weather, it makes our home feel even more like a sanctuary to me.
N was given this Kitchen when she was very small, and the other day we set it up for her, not sure if she was old enough yet- but it turns out that she is most certainly old enough for it. She hasn't played with anything else since we put it up. She walks around carrying a salt shaker and a fried egg on a plate- gives mama and dada tastes of her soups, and loves stashing things in the oven.
