Yesterday, in the finale of our TCW Encore series, we republished the most-read post of the year so far. In fact Mrs May’s war on motherhood, by Kathy Gyngell, is the most-read piece we have ever published. As with its first appearance, it drew so many interesting and thought-provoking comments that we decided to publish extracts from several.
Malcolm Marchesi wrote:
The role of the father has all but been destroyed in our society, as have the institutions of marriage and family, and the role of the mother is now under full-scale attack. Throughout history, societies have fallen mostly when they are attacked from inside and this is now happening to us. The bad news is the misery and suffering that it inflicts upon the individual person, the good news is that the idea of the individual always triumphs in the end. If only those foolish (and wicked) people who, again and again, cause the misery by their arrogance and selfishness, would study history and spare us all the pain.
paul parmenter wrote:
Practical case study in point.
Just the other day was my granddaughter’s second birthday. Her parents decided to take her for her first visit to a swimming pool, and the rest of the family tagged along. With the crowds, the noise, the splashing, it was at first way too much for her to cope with. She howled and clung desperately to her mother; even when placed in a quieter and calmer corner of the kiddies’ learner pool. It took seemingly endless cuddling and patient reassurances to calm her down. But gradually the terror gave way to an awareness that she was not going to drown or be trampled. After more gentle reassurances, the trembling and the tears stopped and she was persuaded to explore the water a little. Eventually, the fear was replaced by a sense of enjoyment. The session ended with her smiling and trying a few supported kicks across the pool, and even laughing off the odd splash that came her way. She didn’t want to leave. The transition was remarkable; and hugely important. Every child needs to learn to swim, and the first step is to overcome the fear of the water.
Her mother was absolutely vital in bringing about this change. She never let her little one go, and provided the safety net for her to hold on to until she was able to overcome her fear in her own time; and then to find the courage to try some strokes of her own. Of course, the bonding had already been established over the two previous years; it was why the little girl knew she could place absolute trust in her mother, and build on that.
It was a privilege for me to be close at hand, to watch and give some assistance to this simple but wonderful step forward in the life and development of a young child.
It is sad to think that Mrs May has never had such an experience and never will. But to think that her total ignorance and total absence of empathy in such a crucial area of family life are forces driving her social policies, is more than sad; it is quite chilling.
CitymanMichael wrote:
What have the leaders of UK, France, Germany, Ireland, EU in common? – childlessness.
David wrote:
As the state grows in size and power, it needs more and more money from taxes. So let’s push the mothers of even newly born babies out to work as soon as we can, regardless of the obviously negative effects on the babies, family life and our future young people and adults. This is the real motivation behind this cultural-Marxist policy. An ever growing state is almost literally feeding off the damage it is doing deliberately to families. It is a great tragedy and sadly, only part of the failed left-liberal experiment that the UK has become.
GreatScot wrote:
As a young father I worked 7 days a week on a day shift, back shift, night shift, weekly rotation. Every penny earned went into the family coffers, this allowed my wife to be a full time mother to the benefit and betterment of our children. When the kids were ill nobody could replace mum, certainly not dad. Dad was fine for playing games, reading bedtime stories in funny voices and explaining how things works and not much else. I am proud to say my grandkids also have the benefit of full time mothers. Mrs May knows nothing.
Bonce wrote:
Maternal child separation is proven to have negative effects and increase anxiety in the formative first three years of a child’s life. The more hours a week that baby and mother are separate, the greater the anxiety and negative affects on the baby.
All three of my children have been breastfed for the first year and my wife has been a stay-at-home mum for the first five years of all of their lives. It’s fortunate that there is not a financial imperative to get her back to work, but for many mothers there is, especially with societal shifts caused by governments to increase female workforce participation. This has led to fewer breadwinner jobs available to men and driven down the wages of the majority of jobs, due to a higher supply in the labour market.
The less said about May and her views on motherhood and knowledge of its importance the better.
Hank Rearden wrote:
When you stop and think about it, daycare proponents are saying that some random young stranger on minimum wage will be quite the equal of a biological mother when it comes to caring for, and supporting a baby, despite having six or seven to look after, to the mother’s one.
hereward wrote:
Not true that women are turning their back on motherhood. I have two daughters of marriageable age, they want and need a man, children and a family in their lives. It is the men who are turning their backs on the responsibility and cost of marriage. Who can blame them? Most of their earnings goes on rent. The one-earner family is almost a thing of the past. Progress, don’t you know.
My two daughters are looking at a very lonely present and future. For me that is very worrying and depressing.
