News Thu, 17 May 2007 21:25:30 CST Vu

What's wrong with being a mother?
Wednesday April 5, 2006
written by Louise Wener

It is three weeks before my baby is due and I am sitting in my GP's waiting room. A woman sits down next to me and stares intently at my bump. She asks if this baby is my first and I nod, expecting some words of congratulations. Instead, she frowns and shakes her head. "Your life will never be the same," she says. She doesn't mean this in a good way. She means I have no idea what I'm in for.

(excerpt)

Having a child is nothing like it is on the Persil adverts. Nothing so good is ever that anodyne. Parenthood smells funny. It's tough, uneven, dark around the edges; it's also glorious, stimulating and profound. If you're debating whether or not to do it, don't dwell too long on the thoughts of Lionel Shriver. Asking someone who has never had a child what it might be like to have one is foolish. It's like seeking relationship advice from a person who has never been in love.

[ Read more What's wrong with being a mother? ]