In a family you may be misunderstood but rarely not known
In the course of family life, children grow and separate from their family. This development can lead to a feeling of estrangement. […]
Practically Speaking: St. Edith Stein on the Emotional Power of Objective Work
Edith Stein, also known by her religious name Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, offered penetrating observations about women—with their capacity for […]
Novelist Elizabeth Strout and the rhythm of work in motherhood
For many women, motherhood is a brief hobby in a life full of other interests and occupations. It can be startling to […]
1000 Hours Outside: How to make the ideal a daily inspiration
One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure […]
Jerry Spinelli’s “Mama Seeton’s Whistle” and a landscape without mothers
In an average suburban neighborhood, young children are rarely seen with their mothers during standard business hours. Progress, we are told, is […]
Sydney Taylor’s “All-of-a-Kind Family” and the marvelous art of storytelling
Our culture continues to suffer severe confusion when it comes to stories. We are trapped in a hellish, post-modern landscape in which […]
Toward order: Holly Pierlot’s “A Mother’s Rule of Life”
The movement from chaos to order is often not a decisive, once-and-for-all decision. Instead, there is a plodding course from disorder and […]
Shirley Jackson’s feminine intellect was not unique
The writing of American gothic extraordinaire Shirley Jackson has received renewed interest in recent years as critics have come to appreciate her […]
Practically Speaking: What to do when you’re angry
Women’s anger has become an influential commodity in the post-modern world. Measures of women’s happiness are declining decade over decade, and “liberated” […]
Marmee: the fictional patron saint of mothers with a temper
Many mothers attest to never having suffered a temper until having children. Something about the biological agitation and emotional intensity of motherhood […]