Fantasy Mothers

I recently read a book of short stories in which one of them the main female character accidentally enters an alternate reality where her husband and six month old daughter do not exist. The story included the woman's struggles with transitioning to motherhood which included some symptoms of Post Partum Depression or PPD to those of us who are familiar with the illness. The rights to this story have been sold for a movie deal where the author explains, regretfully, that the character is no longer a mother because the production company did not feel it was appropriate for the woman to essentially "wish" away her child's existence. My thought is this- there must not be any mothers working for that movie studio. Because if there were, I would assume the thoughts and feelings that go along with the enormity of caring for a new baby would obviously and painfully resonate with them. This sort of glorification (without any real sense of support for us, I might add) of mothers that society imposes on us is nothing short of absurd. The responsibility of raising a child is so overwhelming, there are no words to describe it, let alone communicate it to anyone who has not been there herself. It is only NATURAL, albeit scary, to have visions of packing a suitcase and leaving in the middle of the night sans family. Women carry an extraordinary burden in this life. From the moment of conception, our lives are forever changed and a piece of who we perceived ourselves to be is lost. Now this is not to suggest that we do not gain something incredible in the process, but that takes some time to find in the midst of hormones, nursing sessions, diaper changes and the restructuring of our entire existence. I think a little time to grieve our childless selves is not to much to ask for. So, when you are feeling like the day is never going to end and there is no relief in sight, call a friend who is also a mom. Ask her where her fantasy escape destination is. You may be surprised to learn how similar the locations are for the two of you. We are not alone.