Motherhood

I am a Westside mom who felt like hiding my head in the sand after reading Gina Piccalo’s article [“It Takes a Guru, a Pricey Pram and a Village,” June 18]. Pre-baby, I had a thriving career and a couple of master’s degrees under my belt. I embarked on motherhood with the same intensity I applied to my job. However, I have painfully learned that the rules that applied to life pre-baby do not relate to motherhood.

The dark underbelly of Professional Motherhood is the bottomless pit of guilt and anxiety. There is always someone who seems to be doing it better or, at least on the Westside, looks better while they are doing it!

The neurotic perfectionism erodes every area of our lives -- including our self-care, our own health and our marriages. It’s an unhealthy obsession with our babies and their every move, and the expensive compulsion to provide them with the best of everything.

While I still am a believer in the attachment parenting philosophies I practice, there is something to be said for moderation. I am now on a journey to practice moderation in all areas of my life and to increase my own self-care.

JENNIFER GINSBERG

Los Angeles

*

DURING the past 4 1/2 years of motherhood, I’ve found that motherhood is one of the most ridiculed jobs of all. This sarcastic, demeaning story was a perfect example of such ridicule. If it’s not coming from our peers it’s coming from the press. Shame on Piccalo.

CLARE PARKER

Jacksonville, Fla.