Should We Value the Good Mother Archetype?
Is it reasonable to follow the Good Mother Archetype?
Each day before I start work, I sit down with an apple and a YouTube video. Today, YouTube recommended a speech from Jordan Peterson.
Dr. Peterson is a Clinical Psychologist who rose to fame with his YouTube lectures and hard takes on social topics like free speech and political correctness on college campuses. Since rising to fame, he has toured the world, giving lectures, interviewing with media, and guest speaking on various podcasts. Peterson focuses on the young male audience and teaches resilience, masculinity, and personal responsibility through his podcast and Self Authoring course. (Thank you, Wikipedia.)
Dr. Peterson is known for being controversial, and I wanted to hear the nonsense for myself. But, instead, I’m left pondering my role as a contemporary woman and mother.
YouTube suggested I watch “BECOME A REAL WOMAN BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE..” from TheMentor.
I decided to learn what a real woman was since I think I am real and a woman, at least existentially.
Peterson’s opening statement was that young girls aren’t given a clear view of what their futures likely hold. Instead, young girls are taught that they should seek careers while the emphasis on motherhood has been largely retired.
While unscientific, I know the statement to be somewhat true. I experienced this shift in my life, even as a child of the 1990s. Moving from conservative and traditional Southern West Virginia to a more urban area in North Carolina opened my eyes to what I could ‘achieve’ as a woman. And, while I can’t recall anyone saying it directly, I knew success as a woman was valued by what she could accomplish on paper. In fact, I still see having children as a barrier to success.
Dr. Peterson’s point was that it’s okay to be a career-oriented woman, but that it would come with sacrifices, and that it was okay to change your mind about motherhood. However, it was a societal disservice not to tell young girls they would probably want children in the future.
Due to JP’s controversial reputation, I wanted to get my writing juices flowing before work, and write an argument supporting or denouncing the Good Mother Archetype. Instead, I found the premise to be very reasonable. But, I wonder, have I been dishonest with myself and the young women in my life? Is Dr. Peterson way off course, or do I still have a lingering post-feminist mindset?
I don’t know if Dr. Peterson is right, and I don’t know if it matters. Maybe some women never think about having children. Perhaps some women seek and participate in careers despite a deep desire for motherhood. Again, though, I guess what I learned was that the answer is inconsequential. It doesn’t matter what the right way is… What matters is providing young women different perspectives to consider. What if, as mentors and mothers, we were more transparent about what womanhood is actually like for the sake of young girls?
