Introducing the Bad Mothers podcast

On the Bad Mothers podcast, we’ll dive deep into our maternal urges, or lack thereof. We’ll talk about the mothers we left, or who left us, and whether they haunt our own choices about having children.Why?I created Bad Mothers to give women space to be whatever they want to be, even if that is a “bad” mom – a woman who is frustrated, or doesn’t love being a mom, or decided not to have kids, or isn’t sure, or doesn’t work outside the house, or does…It’s mostly rooted in my interest in maternal ambivalence or even apathy – a disinterest in having children.While I’ve thought about this for most of my adult life, I began researching it in earnest as part of a PhD, learning how the choice to have kids has evolved both legally and culturally in the US.I have never had a sincere interest in having children, but when I began talking more about this as a political choice, it became apparent that most people close to me believe my feelings about motherhood are due to my estrangement from my mother.I don’t believe that is the case. My apathy toward motherhood was there long before my mother cut off communication. But, I did begin to wonder if there are women who make the decision about whether to have kids with deep consideration of an estrangement from their mothers. And I wanted to know how they think about motherhood, what it means to be a good mother, whether they believe they are capable of it without having had a happy childhood, whether their own mothers were good in any way…So that’s what the Bad Mothers podcast will bring you – conversations with women who are estranged from their mothers and who are thinking deeply about their own maternal choices and how or whether their mothers are weighing on their minds.When possible, I’ll also continue to share conversations about abortion rights, the falling birth rate and family policy, since all of that plays into our choices.I’ll plan to publish new episodes every 2-3 weeks, beginning in January. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe