Alison Pearson's I Don't Know Term Paper

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At the high end of the economic spectrum, Reddy can waffle back and forth about whether she wishes to stay home with her children or not simply because she can afford to make that choice. Her ability to maintain a roof over her head and food in her children's stomachs does not depend on whether she has employment or not, and her childcare concerns are confined mainly to the difficulty one has in finding a good nanny. Although it may be unintentional, many of Pearson's best commentaries on motherhood are illustrated through Reddy's relationship with her nanny in that her casual dismissal of her nanny's history and individuality speaks to an inherent power imbalance rooted in class and gender bias. Reddy has the luxury of coming home from a hard day at work to find her children already fed and put to bed; her biggest concern is dealing with a "nanny huff" (81) that forces her to "navigate with extreme care around the events of the day" (81) by pretending to be interested in the ins-and-outs of nanny Paula's working day.

While motherhood is a major theme of I Don't Know How She Does It, it is also a subject which sits much on the periphery of the novel, overshadowed by Reddy's extreme self-involvement and quest to have it all. Early on in the novel, Reddy explains to her five-year-old daughter that she must work so that she can afford all the nice things that her child desires -- a house and ballet lessons and the like.

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However, the displays of conspicuous consumption throughout the novel prove this to be something of a lie: Reddy works because she enjoys it, and her inability to accept this fact for what it is perhaps lies at the heart of the issue of modern mothering. Reddy prefers work over caring for her children, but fears the reactions she will receive from other should she be so bold as to state her true feelings.

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