Be A Woman First And Mother Second

Basics

oi-Cara

By Cara

Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 11:36

'Mothers need to be women first and mothers second, opines a French philosopher and a leading feminist, Elisabeth Badinter.

Elisabeth Badinter who sparks of controversial topics says most women try hard to become slaves to their children. They cater to every need of their children and in the process loose their own identity.

Badinter claims in her new book, Le Conflit, La Femme et la Mere (The Conflict, the Woman and the Mother) that mothers should ditch the eco-friendly cloth nappies and breast-feeding and get their lives back.

She claims in the best seller, which has already caused a storm in Britain and the US, that they should follow the lead of traditional French mamans (mothers) who feel no guilt about using powdered milk, jars of baby food and day care if they're so inclined.

Badinter's message appears to be striking a chord with stressed-out mums. Amanda Cox, from Melbourne is a mother of three. She is a founder of the Bad Mothers Club, a support group for women fed up with trying to be the perfect parent.

It is a club, which encourages mums to talk openly about the trials of raising children, has attracted more than 1900 members since it started four years ago. Cox, too have agreed that motherhood had turned into a form of oppression.

She says that mothers are under tremendous pressure. They are given too many tips about how to bring up kids and most of them are conflicting information.

Top 5 mothering tips from France:

• Be a woman first and a mother second

• Don't be a slave to your children

• Don't feel guilty about using powdered milk, jars of baby food, disposable nappies or day care

• Go back to work

• Have a glass of red wine or two