Create Your Mothering Manifesto
My mothering manifesto started on the back of a receipt.
It came to me in a flash one day - I realized I wanted to write down some of my mothering values so I could refer to them frequently as a guide. I envisioned post-its around my computer or mirror reminding me to of the most important elements of mothering. And then it came to me - a manifesto!!
I rustled around in my purse and grabbed a receipt and scribbled out the following:
Manifesto!! Revolutionary mothering is:
Anti-racist
Inclusive
Intentional
Active
??
For me, a mothering manifesto is one of the key elements to being a conscious parent. It's very easy to just follow the mainstream model of motherhood, without questioning the motivations or reasons why I make certain decisions. I want to be very thoughtful and intentional about the choices I make with and for my children, like how will I demonstrate my values to them, teach them empathy, and resist some of the hegemonic ideals in this country that continue to perpetuate oppression.
These first scribbles soon blossomed into a note in my phone, then a document on my computer, and now I refer to it frequently as a touchstone for my mothering values. My "Revolutionary Mothering Manifesto" is something that is constantly evolving, but ultimately it reflects who I am as a person and how I make decisions about raising my children. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't do this earlier. I believe this manifesto is one of my most helpful tools in conscious motherhood, and so I want to share with you a few tips on writing your own mothering manifesto.
What is a mothering manifesto?
Let's back up even further...what is a manifesto? A manifesto is a public declaration of your core principles, beliefs, or intentions. It is often political or revolutionary, making a statement about something in the world that you want to change or decry. Usually brief in length, a manifesto is often used to rally support for a cause or movement.
So essentially, a Mothering Manifesto is a declaration of your core values, beliefs, and intentions in mothering. It is also:
A commitment to actively forge the world that you want your children to inherit.
A statement on how you choose to mother, especially if there are elements that go against the mainstream.
Possibly a rejection of some facet of modern motherhood that does not align with your values and priorities.
A thoughtful and intentional project that takes time to formulate, but is also ever-changing.
Are manifestos always revolutionary? Not always. You could write, for example, a Conscious Mothering Manifesto - a declaration of how you choose to consciously parent your children. Or perhaps an Eco-Maternal Manifesto - a statement on how you want to raise your children to care for the earth. Or perhaps there are elements of those beliefs in a more general manifesto.
It might help to looks as some examples of powerful manifestos in the past that aren't about mothering. Here are three historical manifestos that I find inspiring:
The Communist Manifesto, 1848
“Communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of society: all that it does is to deprive him of the power to subjugate the labor of others by means of such appropriation.”
The Communist Manifesto (or as it was originally written, Manifesto of the Communist Party) is the famous pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles in 1848. This has been one of the world's most influential political documents, sparking a century and a half of revolutions all over the globe. It is not a blueprint of what communism might become; instead, it presents an analytical approach to class struggle and the conflicts of capitalism and the capitalist mode of production, rather than a prediction of communism's potential future forms.
(Incidentally, if you are new to reading Marx, I wouldn't recommend jumping right into the Manifesto. I'd start with The German Ideology, Critique of the Gotha Programme , or Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. If you'e even more interested in learning more about Marx, I highly recommend the podcast Red Menace as they break down some of Marx's writings and offer contemporary critique and connections for Marxist and Communist philosophy.)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a statement adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on December 10, 1948. After the atrocities of World War II, and a total human loss of around 50 million people in battle, a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt drafted this declaration to recognize the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all humans. It provides a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. The UDHR has been enormously influential in legal, political, and social developments on both the global and national levels for many countries.
The Combahee River Collective Statement, 1977
"The most general statement of our politics at the present time would be that we are actively committed to struggling against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression, and see as our particular task the development of integrated analysis and practice based upon the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking."
The Combahee River Collective was a group of Black, lesbian, socialist feminists who organized in the late 1970s. They argued that both the mainstream feminist movement and the civil rights movement were not addressing the complex social needs of being both Black and women (and also as lesbians). Their 1977 Combahee River Collective Statement was a groundbreaking document about intersectionality (although this was written before the term was popularized) and identity politics.
Write Your Mothering Manifesto
Now it's your turn! Here are a few steps you can take to writing your own Mothering Manifesto.
Start by defining your core values and beliefs in motherhood. What do you stand for? What do you believe in? What is most important to you in mothering?
Identify the problems you want to solve. What ares of modern motherhood don't work for you? What are some of the issues in parenting you want to address?
Outline your motherhood choices. How do you plan to address these problems that you've identified? What will you do differently in your own motherhood journey?
Explain why your mothering choices are the best. Is it more of a gut feeling, or have you researched why you want to make these changes in parenting your children? (This step is very helpful if you've identified a lot of ways in which mainstream motherhood isn't working for you and you want to parent your child differently. People will inevitably challenge your choices in motherhood, and if you've taken the time to clearly explain to yourself why you feel strongly about these choices, you can express them more readily when questioned.)
End with a strong statement. Summarize your mothering manifesto in a powerful and inspiring way.
I am holding a free workshop on January 26, 2023 where we will practice in a group writing our own Mothering Manifestos. If you found this information helpful, I encourage you to attend! Click the link to register below. I can't wait to hear some of your manifestos!