The Rise of the Bad Mom

"This, of course, is not a new problem: thirty years ago, in this magazine, Mark Singer chronicled the efforts of the so-called Supermom, the formerly high-flying professional who, having dropped out of the workplace as a partner in a law or architectural firm, transferred her professional skill set to the complexities of child rearing, with inputs (intensive tutoring, sports teams, brain-building hobbies) producing the desired outputs (high SAT scores leading to a"

"No wonder many mothers embrace, if only ironically, the emergent identity of the bad mom, who sneaks a glass of pinot or half an edible after bath time, a category examined at length and from multiple angles in Ej Dickson's smart and often entertaining book " One Bad Mother." And no wonder, too, that the material conditions of contemporary mothering-with insufficient social and community support, as well a"

Many mothers regularly feel that they must be doing parenting wrong, experiencing persistent feelings of failure despite caregiving efforts. Historical models like the Supermom transplanted professional skills into intensive child-rearing practices, emphasizing inputs such as tutoring and extracurriculars to achieve high academic and career outcomes. Contemporary stereotypes include the Pinterest mom, who crafts and limits screens, and the trad wife, who prioritizes homemaking over personal or professional independence. Some mothers adopt an ironic 'bad mom' identity, normalizing small indulgences after childcare. Inadequate social and community support further intensifies parenting challenges and feelings of insufficiency.

Read at The New Yorker