Someone Other Than A Mother

Cultural scripts about motherhood are so deeply ingrained that we've come to accept them as universal truth, putting mums on an impossible pedestal and shaming childless women and non-traditional families for not measuring up. We've all heard these lines before: · “Parenting is the toughest job in the world.” This idea undermines the work of non-mums and puts pressure on mums (because the burden still falls disproportionately to women) to make parenting their full-time gig. · “It'll be different when you have your own.” Not only does this idea diminish the love of non-biological parents, but it pushes parents to go it alone, when in fact children are a gift best shared. · “Family is the greatest legacy.” For many, children are the ultimate sign of a life well lived, and successes in other areas are discounted, but this book explores how women are making meaning beyond mothering and leaving a legacy predicated on more than DNA. Interweaving Lane's story with those of others who also chose to go off-script - including singles and couples, stepparents and foster parents, the infertile and the ambivalent - SOMEONE OTHER THAN A MOTHER creates a vision for a woman's life that affirms the beauty of motherhood while decoupling female purpose from procreation.