mother

Atomic Mom

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I was born in 1952 and, although I don't remember public service announcements about the atom bomb like the ones M.T. Silvia includes in her feature-length documentary Atomic Mom, I do remember "bomb drills" when I was in elementary school. At least we didn't just crawl under our desks like some PSAs recommended; we went down to the sub-basement and hunkered down in the dark. I don't remember being scared, but then I don't think I had a very good idea of what the hell we were doing.

I'm not sure anyone did. One thing Atomic Mom makes clear is how little anyone really knew about the atomic bomb before and after it was dropped on Japan and effectively ended World War II. Everything associated with the bomb was top secret; there was even a United States-dictated "gag order" on the Japanese from the time the bombs were dropped until 1953. Doctors had no idea what they were dealing with, as they were not allowed to conduct research or to trade information about radiation sickness.

Even those who studied the effects of radiation didn't know exactly why they were doing it or what would be done with the information they collected. M.T. Silvia's mother, Pauline Silvia, was one of those researchers. She was assigned to the Navy Radiological Defense Laboratory in San Francisco during her stint in the Navy from 1952-53, where she conducted research on the effects of radiation on mice and thermal injury on dogs. She was also on site to witness five of the eleven detonations that took place in Nevada during Operation Upshot-Knothole in 1953.

Pauline Silvia compartmentalized her experiences and refused to associate her research with the development of the atomic bomb for forty years. When M.T. herself became involved in the anti-nuclear movement when she was older, her mother became furious and asked her to stop. They didn't talk about the issue for almost fifteen years. Atomic Mom is about Pauline Silvia's journey from denial to acceptance—and ultimately forgiveness.

Interwoven throughout Pauline Silvia's story is the story of Emiko Okada, a survivor of the atom bomb that obliterated Hiroshima. While Pauline Silvia was fifteen at the time and only thought of the bomb in terms of it ending the war, Emiko Okada was only five and lived through its horrendous effects. (Her twelve-year-old sister was never found and her mother died soon after.) Today, she is a peace activist.

M.T. Silvia was introduced to Okada when she was sent to Japan for her "day job" (Manager of Media Sytems for Pixar Animation Studios). Her interviews with Okada and her daughter add depth to the film by contrasting the experiences of the two "atomic moms."

Atomic Mom is about many things: the excesses and irrationality of war, the peace movement, and the legacies that one generation leaves another. But most of all, it is about reconciliation, not only between former enemies, but between mother and daughter. It is obvious that the film is more than an intellectual exercise; it was meant to be a way for M.T. Silvia to learn more about her mother. In the process, they became closer and the world became a little smaller.

Written by: Ellen Keim, August 12th 2010

Motherhood and Feminism

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Amber E. Kinser

Seal Press

I doubt any role is more judged than mother. Add sexuality, class, and race into the equation and, for some of us, we will never be a "good" mother. But what are we really comparing ourselves to?

We are trying to live up to a myth. A myth of Biblical proportions that has been around for less than sixty years. Stephanie Koontz’s The Way We Never Were does an excellent job at debunking the myth of a Leave It to Beaver family and letting Donna Reed be our benchmark. Amber E. Kinser picks up that conversation and runs with it.

In Motherhood and Feminism Kinser outlines the evolution, both natural and government imposed, of the role of motherhood in American society. At the same time she is tracking the evolution of the feminist movement in the United States. Sometimes both areas collide; other times they complement each other. And that is what is fascinating about this book: how easily motherhood and the role of women in families can be shifted by outside economic pressures and government propaganda, as well as how the feminist movement often takes its cues from how motherhood is framed.

During the first wave of feminism, it was obvious that many of the women who were engaged in the fight for suffrage took a look at themselves and said, “Hey, women need the vote so we can be better citizens for our children and because women are just better people than men.” The theory that infusing women into politics would clean it up remains with us today. The fact that women could not ask for their own rights for their own sake, but rather used their children as the reason why they shouldn’t be left penniless after her husband dies, also remains with us. Consider how many mothers' organizations fight for rights on behalf of children rather than for women themselves.

In many ways the fight for women’s rights has and continues to be fought in the home. The so-called Mommy Wars are a proxy for where a woman should be in society and not about the well-being of children. It is also a proxy for who is worthy of support. (How dare that woman take government money to stay home with her children when my husband works hard and I budget so I can be home?) The backlash against mom bloggers earning money, directly or indirectly through free samples, is yet another battle over where a woman’s priorities should be: her career or her children.

Kinser makes the point over and over again that not all mothers movements are feminist, nor do they want to be. It is honestly easier to get a thousand women to rally for children’s health care than to rally for their own health care that includes access to full reproductive health services. And that’s where the gruff lives.

I've talked with feminists who wished that mothers organizations would just claim the damn label, but I get it. And yes, it usually falls to the abortion question. Kinser has one of the best rationales on why feminism must include a pro-choice stance—no ifs, ands, or buts. She also does a good job at tackling moms of color, queer moms, and low-income moms. This is not a history of white middle class feminist motherhood, although she correctly states that much of mainstream feminism and motherhood expectations are modeled on white middle class norms, and then she rips it apart.

Motherhood and Feminism is well written and documents a shared history that many moms and feminists often forget or aren't even aware of. Without moms, we wouldn't have won the right to vote. Without feminism, moms wouldn't have the rights they have today. We're like peanut butter and chocolate—and some us are peanut butter cups.

Cross-posted from Viva La Feminista

Written by: Veronica I. Arreola, May 28th 2010

My Mom is My Hero

admin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Edited by Susan Reynolds

Adams Media

If you're searching for a warm, soothing bowl of soup for the soul, look no further. This collection of lovely essays on the importance of mothers is sure to strike a chord with every reader. Each of the fifty authors of My Mom is My Hero has contributed a very personal piece, describing key events, special memories, or extraordinary displays of love from Mom. Universal motherly themes emerge, such as nurturing, encouraging, giving, and forging life paths.

The contributors are diverse, including men and women of a variety of ages, representing a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Each story is unique, enhancing the reader's understanding and appreciation of mothers. Some essays are uplifting, such as Kathryn Godsiff's "The Care Package Queen," which chronicles the author's mother's undying efforts to send goodies, no matter the distance. Others are inspirational, like "The Writing Desk," Charles W. Sasser's story of his family's lifestyle as cotton pickers and how his mother's sacrifices paved the way for him to become a writer. Still others are humorously bittersweet, including "There is No Such Thing as a Perfect Vacuum" by Chavawn Kelley, which will have readers smiling with nostalgia at the images of Sunbeam mixers and Electrolux vacuum cleaners.

What surprised me most about My Mom is My Hero was the variety of points of view and experiences it provides. I expected a collection of feel-good stories about the love of mothers, and I thought that was where it would end. But this book is so much more than that. Mothers are undoubtedly in the spotlight, but others receive standing ovations as well, including grandmothers, fathers, other relatives, and neighbors. In addition, we get candid looks at the life inside the writers' minds and families. Reading about how the writers and their mothers coped with tough situations and individuals is enough to get us on our feet, ready to take on the world. A great gift for Mom, or for yourself!

Written by: Amanda Moss, August 28th 2009

Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:34:00 +0000

By Suzanne Kamata

Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing

Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering is a collection of essays by twenty different women who are all raising children in a multicultural environment. The children in this book mainly fall into three categories: they are of mixed racial heritage, they are being raised in a country to which their parents have immigrated, or they have been adopted by parents from another culture. Being multiracial myself and having been raised in an army town where interracial relationships, foreign mothers, and multiracial children are fairly common, I was interested to see what Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering had to say.

Overall, I found the stories in the book to be very hit or miss. Some were moving and touched on issues that multicultural families sometimes face. One stand out is “Fade to Brown,” the story of a woman of mixed race who worries how her daughters’ differing skin colors (one is light, the other dark) will affect their relationship with each other and their cultural identity. It’s an insightful story, dealing with real concerns and specific problems that many people of mixed race can relate to.

Other stories in the collection are less on target. For instance, “Dr. Bucket in Bishkek” has nothing to do with raising children in a foreign country or culture. Instead, it is an amusing tale about an English woman’s experiences while being pregnant in Kyrgyzstan. While it makes for a good fish-out-of-water story, the essay has little to do with the central theme of the collection. Many of the stories were also centered more on how the mother was reacting to the family’s environment or circumstance instead of focusing on the children. These stories were more about bad marriages and personal prejudices than about mothers coping with unusual situations.

My main problem with many of these stories is that due to the way they were written, they just did not feel real. Don’t get me wrong—the writing is good, but it’s all very fanciful and poetic, making the work seem more like fiction than a relating of real life events. Instead of flowery prose, I would have preferred straightforward accounts of the obstacles and triumphs these mothers have encountered. In the end, Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering is worth a look for the better stories, but be prepared to have to wade through the bad ones as well.

Written by: Victoria Kroeger, April 28th 2009

Little JULES Necklace

admin — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 16:06:00 +0000

By Little JULES

Upon discovering the absence of a company creating jewelry for babies that actually fits their tiny limbs, mother and designer Tania Condon began making bling for babies, starting with her own son, Julian, whom she has since named her company after. Compliments abound and Condon realized she could take her talents to a new, entrepreneurial level, and that's just what she did. Little JULES came to fruition bringing durable and stylish accessories for little ones and has since expanded to include not just moms and dads, but also the family pet… both small and large dogs!

The Little JULES Necklace has three main styles that you can mix and match: engraved (with name and/or birth date of baby), feet stamped and hand stamped. It is made of sterling silver with a disc pendent (approximately 5/8” in diameter) on a 16”, 18” or 20” sparkly ball chain. I wore mine and immediately began getting compliments. One woman even stopped me on the subway to inquire about the necklace and its tiny baby feet. When I explained that I don't actually have a child, she thought the tootsies might be mine, but I explained that they belong to Julian, circa infant stage.

So if you’re looking for a personalized gift for a friend… or a friend’s child… or a friend’s dog, Little JULES will hook you up with a stylish and unique gift.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, March 18th 2007