On the science of maternal instinct.
 | By Sarah Wildman Staff Editor, Opinion |
When I was a child I knew one profound fact about my mother: She was an orphan. She is also hilarious, ribald even. But she has always been very clear that she profoundly missed the opportunity of being mothered. Her own mother died when she was just 9. |
I thought I understood that loss when I was young. But it was when I first became a mother myself that I acutely grasped how important a mother remains, long after we're grown. |
The human relationship of a new (or seasoned!) mother to her own mother, as Abigail Tucker explains in her touching essay that we published over the weekend, is "nearly unique in the natural world." We are among (very!) few species that not only maintain a relationship with our offspring, but also often support them when they reproduce as well. |
"Only human females and a handful of long-lived whales have a lengthy life phase when reproduction ends and the time arrives to pitch in with the grandkids," Tucker explains in the piece, which is adapted from her newly published book "Mom Genes: Inside The New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct." "This all-hands (or all flippers) approach to ensuring your genetic legacy apparently pays dividends." |
It turns out that a grandmother's help can have a profound impact on a new mother's well-being, on the success of her pregnancy and even on how her children thrive. |
During the pandemic, even those mothers who live close to their own mothers have often been forced to be distant. For many others — like me — who live hours apart, this time has caused us to reconsider why we don't live close enough to continue to be mothered well into adulthood. It's not just wishful thinking; as Tucker explains, there's a science to our sense of need. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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