"When Nancy Reddy had her first child, she found herself suddenly confronted with the ideal of a perfect mother-a woman who was constantly available, endlessly patient, and immediately invested in her child to the exclusion of all else. Reddy had been raised by a single working mother, considered herself a feminist, and was well on her way to a PhD. Why did doing motherhood "right" feel so wrong? For answers, Reddy turned to the mid-20th century social scientists and psychologists whose work still forms the basis of so much of what we believe about parenting. It seems ludicrous to imagine modern moms taking advice from midcentury researchers. Yet, their bad ideas about so-called "good" motherhood have seeped so pervasively into our cultural norms. In The Good Mother Myth, Reddy debunks the flawed lab studies, sloppy research, and straightforward misogyny of researchers from Harry Harlow, who claimed to have discovered love by observing monkeys in his lab, to the famous Dr. Spock, whose bestselling parenting guide included just one (1!) illustration of a father interacting with his child. This timely and thought-provoking book will make you laugh, cry, and want to scream (sometimes all at once). Blending history of science, cultural criticism, and memoir, The Good Mother Myth pulls back the curtain on the flawed social science behind our contemporary understanding of what makes a good mom."--

When Nancy Reddy had her first child, she was confronted with the societal ideal of motherhood: a mother who is always available, endlessly patient, and completely focused on her child above all else. Raised by a single working mother, Reddy identified as a feminist and was pursuing a PhD. Yet, she found the pressure to meet this ideal troubling. To understand why, she turned to mid-20th century social scientists and psychologists whose research continues to influence modern parenting beliefs. Reddy examines the ideas put forward by these researchers, such as Harry Harlow's controversial studies on monkeys and Dr. Spock's famous parenting guide, which notably included minimal mention of fathers. In The Good Mother Myth, Reddy critiques these outdated and often flawed theories about motherhood, offering an analysis of how their influence still shapes cultural norms today. This book blends history, cultural criticism, and memoir to explore the complex and often problematic foundations of modern ideas about what it means to be a "good" mother.