Thoroughly Modern Motherhood

MQ contributor Louise Jarvis Flynn was a guest on Frank Stasio's show The State of Things this afternoon. The show included an interesting mix of women from all stages of motherhood: a retired activist with a 33 year old son, an attorney mom of teens, Louise (a freelance writer and mother to her one-year-old son) and a young, stay-at-home mother of four. Producer Susan Davis did a great job of lining up a truly eclectic group of women from all age groups. The mothers spoke of society's expectations of motherhood, choices women have to make regarding what kind of mother they want to be, and the idea of the "good mom" vs. the "bad mom."

When Frank asked, "How do young women learn who they are because there are so many messages and pressures coming from so many different places and the media about what a woman should be? How hard is it to find out who you are and be that sturdy?"

Louise replied, "I think that's one of the big questions of your twenties. In this collection, The May Queen, it's really about that and it's about how these women coming into their thirties figured out by making a whole lot of really bad choices and mistakes, but also good choices (bad luck and good luck) just kind of stumbling along end up at a point in their thirties with family and a career and kind of pulling it all together."