“Mommy wars” is a term used when stay-at-home moms are pitted against their paid-working counterparts. The book Mommy Wars is edited by Leslie Morgan Steiner and is a collection of essays by 26 mothers talking about their own experiences.
It gets promoted as “26 stay-at-home and career moms face off on their choices, their lives, and their families.” I personally think that summary does the book injustice and feeds into the women pitted against each other mentality. That being said, I’m not in marketing and this tagline must generate interest.
Image from Leslie Morgan Steiner’s website
The book isn’t about these women bashing each other, but explaining their choices, their life and their realizations. It serves as a way to put the shoe on the other foot. It also recognizes that stay-at-home and working are never as simple as their titles. There are women with a foot in each world, women who work from home. It looks at how income, race, upbringing, philosophies and education come into play among other interesting food for thought.
Though the title isn’t my favourite it’s quite an interesting worthwhile read. An added bonus for myself is the contributors are all mothers and writers – inspired!
Steiner is the author of Crazy Love, a memoir about her abusive first marriage. Haven’t read it yet but if you have, what did you think?
**UPDATE** Crazy Love was a good, relatable read. Though it tells the story of a textbook case of an abusive relationship, it is a memoir, thus doesn’t read like a textbook. I recommend this book!
