The Moms Are Not Alright: Inside America's New Parenting Crisis
Written by Anne Helen Petersen
Narrated by Marissa Hampton
4/5
()
About this audiobook
From the author of the bestselling cultural touchstones Out of Office and Can’t Even, an honest, intimate, and often shocking look at how the events of the past three years have pushed parents to the breaking point—and how many of them are emerging stronger and more resourceful than before.
Parenting is tough under the best of conditions. Thanks to the ongoing calamities of recent years, it’s more challenging than ever—for mothers in particular. Recent statistics show that more than 60 percent of women have taken on the majority of pandemic parenting and household duties, almost 50 percent are under regular stress, and 39 percent with children under five say they have either left the workforce or reduced their hours because of a lack of reliable and affordable childcare. In short, mothers are not okay.
Plenty of news stories have reported on the increased pressure mothers have been under in the face of Covid, gun violence, inflation, racial acrimony, and more, but we’ve heard little beyond sound bites from women themselves. In this powerful account, Anne Helen Petersen, one of today’s most astute and empathetic cultural observers, gives women voice. Drawing on responses she received from more than a thousand mothers, Petersen shares the first-person stories of thirty-three of them. We hear from moms from a wide range of races, backgrounds, income levels, cities, and towns. Some are single, some divorced, some in same-sex unions. All of them are ready to talk.
With cathartic, raw candor, these moms tell how they’re attempting to work through the anxiety, fatigue, and abject terror of the early 2020s. In stunning detail, they discuss how they’re grappling with the day-to-day emotional and economic fallout, and the deep demoralization that accompanies the sinking feeling that so few people in power are thinking about ways to help. During the shutdown and now, these mothers have felt alone and largely forgotten. For many, it’s increasingly impossible to do what feels like good parenting within the system as it is. Some of this is the fault of the pandemic, but some, too, is the ongoing unraveling of the social safety net and government failure to cultivate communities that support parents. As one mom says, “Most of my friends and their partners are barely hanging on.”
But these stories also show something else: the resilience and adaptability of families. Despite their hardships and worries, these mothers have crafted ways to survive—and thrive. In the absence of political solutions, they’re building their own support systems for themselves and their children. Yes, these moms are pissed off and worn out, but they’re also, ultimately, hopeful.
Not just a story for mothers, this is for friends, colleagues, employers, and even (perhaps especially) policymakers. The way we treat parents is the way we regard caregiving, labor, gender, family, and community at large. If we don’t figure out how to address these issues now, all of us will suffer. The Moms Are Not Alright will make parents feel seen, but it will also speak to the many who are eager to reconsider the way we think of community and care moving forward.
Editor's Note
Pains and joys of parenting…
“I’m tired and scared and anxious and unmotivated and proud and grateful and desperately sad and hopeless,” says one of the many mothers interviewed by culture writer Petersen (“Can’t Even”) for this Scribd Original. The raw stories these moms share about their experiences raising children during the chaos of the pandemic and more are eye-opening, moving, and reassuring.
Anne Helen Petersen
Anne Helen Petersen is an author and journalist who writes about culture, celebrity and feminism for Buzzfeed News. She received her PhD from the University of Texas. She is the author of Scandals of Classic Hollywood, and Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is her second book. She lives in Brooklyn.
Related to The Moms Are Not Alright
Related audiobooks
Stimulus Wreck: Rebuilding After a Financial Disaster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lonely Dad Conversations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Cute When You're Mad: Simple Steps for Confronting Sexism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No One Here Is Like Me: Race, Family, and Fatherhood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The World Deserves My Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Land of Delusion: Out on the edge with the crackpots and conspiracy-mongers remaking our shared reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Summer of Fall: Gravity is a bitch, but I'm still standing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Butts: A Backstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Do You Know Who I Am?: Battling Imposter Syndrome in Hollywood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radiolab: Mixtape: How The Cassette Changed The World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Junket Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radiolab: The Feels Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ivy League Counterfeiter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Out of the Wreckage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If You Want Something Done: Leadership Lessons from Bold Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is Life: 10 Writers on Love, Fear, and Hope in the Age of Disasters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You and I, as Mothers: A Raw and Honest Guide to Motherhood Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/577 Days of February: Living and Dying in Ukraine, Told by the Nation’s Own Journalists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Happiness Makeover: Overcome Stress and Negativity to Become a Hopeful, Happy Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Relationships For You
Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All About Love: New Visions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Many Lives of Mama Love (Oprah's Book Club): A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries in Marriage: Understanding the Choices That Make or Break Loving Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love, Revised Edition: Relationship Repair in a Flash Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sh*t My Dad Says Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hit and Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Love Languages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/58 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Highly Sensitive Person in Love: Understanding and Managing Relationships When the World Overwhelms You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grow Up: Becoming the Parent Your Kids Deserve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spoiler Alert: You're Gonna Die: Unveiling Death One Question at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You’re Not the Only One F*cking Up: Breaking the Endless Cycle of Dating Mistakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Moms Are Not Alright
227 ratings19 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very relatable!
We did what we had to do.
Not sure how we all survived this! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Do you need a spiritual native doctor that will set you free from all your spiritual troubles and bad luck? (+ 2348118 526509), Court Cases, Marital and Financial Problem, Spiritual Attack, Marriage Delay, Visa Lottery, Bet Winning, or seeing yourself in water in the dream, having bad lock, bad neighbour, Are you looking for love or you are losing your kids to Government or your Wife or your Husband and you are living in this following countries USA,UK,GERMANY,FRANCE,AUSTRALIA,AUSTRAL, AFRICA, ASIA and many more Countries that can’t be all listed here, you want to have full custody of your children, or maybe your wife or your husband want to claim everything you have build together and you need a solution to get back everything and many more. Call Baba Autase temple for spiritual freedom.
Phone Number And WhatsApp Number: + 2348118 526509 - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amicharlie chily new York UAS English book story सुखने हैं। video
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The author does a great job documenting what parents have gone through since March 2020 in the US. It does bring back some of the anxiety of living through that time and feeling pushed to the edge. I wish there were more takeaways. It seems like the big one is summed up in the title, that we are struggling and often very isolated and left largely without a safety net. This adds to the discussion of how we grieve or rather haven't grieved or processed the past couple of years.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Not what I was expecting. The thoughts and actions of some of the moms in the story was insightful, hilarious and all so true. The pandemic has done and still doing a number on everyone.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Such a powerful and relatable book. All women, particularly parents should read this. It made me feel seen.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5i really needed to hear these stories. wish i could add it to my goodreads. wish i could share it w my friends but many don’t have scribd. i think the stories are focused on a particular subset of parents, but i don’t have a problem with that. totally a worthwhile read.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As a mom with a 4 and 6 year old when the Pandemic hit, hearing these stories was healing to me in a way I didn’t expect. It’s inspired me to write my own story as a way to process and take stock of the last 2.5 years.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excited to read/listen to more from Dr. AHP about this!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I’m a new mom, my little guy came to me in August 2022… I had no idea how much I needed to hear these stories. Highly recommend this audiobook!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This is propaganda plain and simple. The author is very biased.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lots of yuppies in this one. The pandemic was a good and bad thing.
3 people found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Always eye-opening to hear of others' experiences of the same crisis. But this book would've been better if the experiences had included a wider variety of mothers with cultural, religious and political belief systems. Her editors need to allow Dr AHP to broaden her scope.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This collection of first story accounts of mothers who faced various challenges during the pandemic reminds the reader that we are really all in this together
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book perfectly describes what moms went through during Covid. Definitely recommend!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A great read for any mom that made it through the pandemic.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So relatable and powerful. Makes me feel seen as a mom. Thank you for doing this work.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A short overview of mothers struggles during the Pandemic; especially in the aftermath of Lockdowns. Stories are short submissions, shared by mothers across North America. No psychological discussion!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So honest and eye-opening. So many of us have been so scared to tell the truth about how we're feeling because of this pandemic. This is a life-changing piece of literature in my opinion and well worth reading.
Thank you for the honesty.1 person found this helpful