What is Motherhood? is a Brain, Child blog series, with original posts from our writers, and reposts from some of our most favorite websites and blogs, all answering the universal question—what does motherhood mean to you?
This post is republished with permission from our friends at the New York Times Motherlode blog:
Every mother feels societal pressures, but few have experienced as much parenting scrutiny as the mother from “The Cat in the Hat.” In this interview, she tries to set things straight.
Let’s just start with the obvious question: Where were you?
I know what you’re getting at, and let me just say for the record that my kids were not that little. They were 10 and 12. That’s the No. 1 thing I’m always criticized about, leaving young kids unattended.
What else do you get flak for?
Are you kidding? That I didn’t teach my kids how to entertain themselves properly. That I have terrible fashion sense, thanks to my polka-dot dress/kite. That I leave dangerous yard tools and birthday cakes with burning candles strewn around my house. That my son, you know, doesn’t have a name. And of course that I allowed my kids to catch other children with nets and lock them in a box.
Things One and Two?
They looked a lot like the Davis twins from across the street.
But didn’t you feel responsible when you found out what happened that day?
As if I could have predicted that a giant talking cat would pop by and destroy my house! Listen, it must say something about my parenting style that the mere sight of my feet would get everyone scrambling around, shaking with fear.
Still, you left your kids alone all day in your unlocked house, and they didn’t seem to have much awareness of “stranger danger.”
O.K., a), that cat was benign compared to my in-laws, who were always arriving unannounced. And b), we did have a baby sitter.
Photo Credit: Seussville.com