The Good Mother Myth

Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom

By: Nancy Reddy

Narrated by: Sara Sheckells

Timely and thought-provoking, Nancy Reddy unpacks and debunks the bad ideas that have for too long defined what it means to be a "good" mom.

When Nancy Reddy had her first child, she found herself suddenly confronted with the ideal of a perfect mother—a woman who was constantly available, endlessly patient, and immediately invested in her child to the exclusion of all else. Reddy had been raised by a single working mother, considered herself a feminist, and was well on her way to a PhD. Why did doing motherhood "right" feel so wrong?

For answers, Reddy turned to the mid-20th century social scientists and psychologists whose work still forms the basis of so much of what we believe about parenting. It seems ludicrous to imagine modern moms taking advice from midcentury researchers. Yet, their bad ideas about so-called “good” motherhood have seeped so pervasively into our cultural norms. In The Good Mother Myth, Reddy debunks the flawed lab studies, sloppy research, and straightforward misogyny of researchers from Harry Harlow, who claimed to have discovered love by observing monkeys in his lab, to the famous Dr. Spock, whose bestselling parenting guide included just one (1!) illustration of a father interacting with his child.

This timely and thought-provoking audiobook will make you laugh, cry, and want to scream (sometimes all at once). Blending history of science, cultural criticism, and memoir, The Good Mother Myth pulls back the curtain on the flawed social science behind our contemporary understanding of what makes a good mom.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2025 Nancy Reddy (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Incisive … The sharp analysis sheds light on how child development research’s individualistic focus unfairly blamed mothers for children’s outcomes … and Reddy’s candid account of struggling with feelings of inadequacy after having kids demonstrates the deleterious effects of the impossible expectations set by such studies.”—Publishers Weekly

"Intelligent and well researched, Reddy’s study offers insights that new mothers will undoubtedly find both useful and liberating. A refreshingly honest book that challenges the problematic ideals of motherhood."—Kirkus

“Reddy provides a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of parenting advice with a fresh lens that focuses on the wives of prominent historical figures who were considered parenting experts in their heyday.”—Library Journal