A couple of odds & ends that didn't seem huge enough for posts on their own (plus I'm casting about for something to write for today's #MM post, lol):
- Further to my post about Kim Cattrall & her comments on not having children (but nevertheless feeling like a parent), there was an excellent opinion piece in the Globe & Mail about Cattrall's remarks and the reaction to them (apparently things got ugly on Twitter). Sample quotes from the article:
It’s obvious why some exhausted moms would bristle, but did Cattrall’s statements really diminish their sacrifices? Hardly. The actress never purported to be a better mother; nor did she advocate for everyone going childfree. Those who bash Cattrall, a seemingly nurturing woman, are playing the ugly parenting game of one-upmanship.
The large-scale derision of Cattrall’s maternal-ness also lays bare how resentful many still feel toward a 59-year-old woman who opted out of motherhood proper. Childless women are very often still cruelly judged.
More than anything, the attack on Cattrall reveals just how badly parents and non-parents are still set up as adversaries, a dynamic that benefits no one. [Ed. note: Hear, hear!!]
- In the "we (ALIers) are everywhere" category: I was watching part one of PBS's excellent two-part biography of Walt Disney on "American Experience" last week, and learned that Walt wanted a big family, 10 kids!! He was overjoyed when his wife Lillian became pregnant in 1931, and even started building a big new house to accommodate his expanding family. (I could sense where this was headed...) Sadly, Lillian had a miscarriage -- and not long afterwards, Walt had a full-scale nervous breakdown. I'm sure there were other contributing factors -- while he was a creative genius, Disney had a lot of business and money problems, particularly in the early days, and he was under a lot of pressure -- but no doubt the loss of the much-anticipated baby was a big part of it. (I peeked into a book about him at the bookstore later in the week, and while this was the only miscarriage mentioned in the PBS show, apparently there were several more that followed.) He & Lillian eventually had two daughters, Diane and (via adoption) Sharon.
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
I've not heard/read about Cattrall.
ReplyDeleteI've known others who wanted big families and it just didn't happen. Some have gone one gracefully in life, others not so.
I knew a child-less by choice couple back in the late 80s, and witnessed the never ending grief they got from people (especially since they were in their early 20s). It makes me sad that all these years later, it's still a thing that people get riled up about. I agree - it benefits no one.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard about Mr. Disney. I do know that Dr. Seuss did not have children. Someone asked him "whose problem is it?" He responded quite famously with "you make them, I'll entertain them."
ReplyDeleteYou make such great points... that you can acknowledge some else's maternal-ness without losing your own, that this dynamic helps no one. I remember as a younger woman traveling to an aunt and uncle's house with my mom, and staying in their beautiful home. My mom's comment, "Well, they can have nice things, they didn't have children," always stuck with me. We don't know their whole story, we don't know if it was a choice or a "choice." But it was assumed they were selfish and able to spend their money on frivolous beautiful things. I don't get the judgment without thought. I don't get why one life is considered less worthy than another. And I totally didn't know that about Walt Disney... Very interesting food for thought.
ReplyDeleteAs much as it saddens me about the negative reaction to the article with Kim Cattrall, I am thankful for her voice on the subject and to continue to open conversations. I'm glad there was a follow up article from another source offering further dialogue and insight. Great quotes you picked.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that about Walt Disney or Dr. Seuss.
Great points! I've made a conscious effort not to involve myself in online commenting on the Kim Cattrall topic because I haven't had the mental fortitude to to remain cordial. But I have loved Kim Cattrall since the 1987 classic, Mannequin. :)
ReplyDeleteI missed the negative reaction to her comments, but admittedly, I don't spend a lot of time on Twitter. I saw posts about her redefining words.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that about Disney, but the Hershey story is similar. And it's all over the Hershey exhibits in PA. It talks about how they opened the school specifically because they couldn't have children.
I am so pleased there was a decent response to all the judgements made about her comments. I'm off to read the whole article now.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, we are everywhere. It's sad that we're so hidden that nobody talks about it.