[sources for this post may be found on the bibliography page located in the sidebar to your right.]

i’ve already lamented that our society’s motherhood prototypes are extremes that are not available (or even desirable) to many of us. apparently, i am not the only one desperately looking for moms who model a different way. sarah blaffer hrdy, an anthropologist trained in sociobiology, was on this search too, only she turned to our primate ancestors and documented her findings in her 1999 book, mother nature.

hrdy’s study of primate mothers revealed that they were concerned with both the hands-on nurture of their children and the exercise of seeking status in their communities. for example, chimpanzee mothers worked hard to secure high-demand commodities like food and shelter. “their ambition helped their children to survive and, as a result, was the ultimate form of mother care” (warner, 151). it is part of our “evolutionary history” to want to care for our children and contribute to our communities in ways that benefit ourselves and others (warner, 151).

the difference is that in primate communities, these two instinctual needs were integrated and supported. there were ways for primates to develop a sense of agency while their children were only an arm’s reach away. the notion that women must choose between child-nurture and status/agency is a product of the culture we’ve created and not a sign of our natural tendencies.

if you’re not into the evolution thing, please don’t go apeshit! at the very least, primate life can inspire us to try to integrate the elements of life that matter instead of choosing between them.

the mothers of invention segments of this blog will feature moms who are using the resources they have (tin foil, computers, education, intuition, empathy, scotch tape, etc.) to do everything from potty training toddlers to excelling in their workplaces. their common thread is the search for balanced lives for themselves and their families, not the lives prescribed by the narrow models of motherhood that currently exist.

this is revolutionary for two reasons:

1)the people highlighted on these pages are not (nor do they aspire to be) martha stewart, sarah palin, hillary clinton, or june cleaver. they are a far cry from the iconic mothers, homemakers, and business women whose lives have become the fabric of many women’s self-expectations. our mothers of invention do not necessarily see themselves as revolutionaries or radicals. they are simply authentic and at peace with a middle-ground sort of life. the real revolution comes when these stories become the cultural norm, and these types of women are recognized for their innovation.

2)the mothers of invention series will display a variety of life-giving models for motherhood in hopes that these models will be used to construct new, more realistic expectations. often, women are our own worst critics as we try to patch the gap between our ideals and our realities by putting one another down. there will be no deconstruction here. this is a space for building each other up.

stay tuned to learn about the real lives of moms who are also, among other things, yoga teachers, counselors, potters, fitness instructors, photographers, and writers. if you want to nominate yourself or a friend for our mothers of invention series, check out the sidebar to the right of this post. there you will find links to our questionnaire and instructions about the nomination process.