Motherhood’s heartbreaking demise

IF WE cannot be sure that there is a special invisible bond between mothers and their children, then we cannot be certain about anything. But if this is so, how can we justify the current strident fashion for urging mothers to go out to work when their children are small?

I was struck very deeply by one tiny piece of the reminiscences of Esther Rantzen’s daughter Rebecca Wilcox (who has chosen to stay at home with her own children). It read: ‘As a toddler, my elder sister Emily used to wave Mum goodbye at the door and then go straight to her bedroom window overlooking the driveway, to watch for her return.

‘At the time Mum was never told about this daily vigil, but, looking back now, she admits it breaks her heart.’

Shouldn’t it break all our hearts? And if not, shouldn’t it make us wonder if we are pursuing a wise and good policy?

Most women go out to work because they have to, not because glamorous jobs in TV await them.