A great book for active mothers with a lot on their plate!
In All On One Plate, anthropologist Solveig Brown talks to mothers who candidly acknowledge their vulnerabilities as a parent and graciously share the things they do that have made parenting, relationships, work, and life a little easier. Drawing on interviews, surveys, cultural analysis, and the latest academic research, Brown’s thoughtful and compassionate exploration of the gamut of parenting experiences provides readers with a tremendous resource for figuring out their own solutions to issues that every parent faces.
Finalist for 2016 Indiefab Award for Family and Relationships!
"Brown's thoughtful exploration of the gamut of parenting experiences provides readers with a tremendous resource for figuring out their own solutions to issues that every parent deals with.... Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds... Endnotes and an index round out this lucid discussion, highly recommended especially for public library collections."—MBR Bookwatch, Cowper's Bookshelf
“This beautifully written, sensitive account of the struggles facing American mothers is a call to action for more family-friendly public policies.”—Elaine Tyler May, author of America and the Pill and Homeward Bound
“Dr. Brown addresses the issues mothers talk about in a clear-eyed and compassionate way. This well-researched book tackles the underlying assumptions of modern day motherhood, and how we can begin to reshape them to offer more support for parents.” —Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids and founder of the "Free-Range Kids" Blog and Movement
“Parents face many challenges in raising children to feel good about their bodies, make healthful food choices, and engage in enjoyable physical activity.... While there is much advice around, Dr. Brown’s book benefits from her in-depth research conducted with mothers who are living the parenting experience.” —Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Professor and Division Head of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, author of I’m Like SO Fat! Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight Obsessed World
“Dr. Brown’s research asks all the right questions…. It is an important contribution to the national conversation.”—Dr. Carla Naumburg, New York Times bestselling author of Parenting in the Present Moment
“This innovative and well-written book …is the best study yet on mothering…”—John Ingham, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Minnesota
“In this well-researched study, Solveig Brown offers a panoramic yet detailed picture of the challenges that women face raising children under the thumb of ‘intensive mothering’... The book is a resource for anyone who seeks to understand the exigencies of raising children in a media-saturated world.” —Meredith W. Michaels co-author with Susan J. Douglas The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Women and How it has Undermined All Women
Contents
- Why is it so Hard to be an American Mom?
- What is a Good Mom, anyway?
- Pressure, Guilt, Judgment, and Connection
- The Rite of Passage for New Mothers
- “It’s your turn to put the kids to bed.”
- The “Life Load”
- Keeping Kids Safe
- Raising Healthy Kids
- Buffer Mothers
- “I just say no a lot.”
- The New Second Shift
- Raising Good Kids
- Where do We Go from Here?
- Appendix 1: Research Methodology
- Appendix 2: The Top Ten Attributes of an Ideal American Mother
- Appendix 3: The Top Ten Attributes of Mothers’ Personal View of a Good Mother
- Endnotes
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