SOMEONE OTHER THAN MOTHER

In this title, a theologian overturns dominant narratives about motherhood and inspires women to write their own stories.

Cultural scripts about motherhood are so deeply ingrained that we've come to accept them as universal truth, putting moms on an impossible pedestal and shaming childless women and nontraditional families for not measuring up.
We've all heard these lines before:
- "Parenting is the toughest job in the world." - This idea undermines the work of non-moms and puts pressure on moms (because the burden still falls disproportionately to women) to make parenting their full-time gig.
- "It'll be different when you have your own." - Not only does this idea diminish the love on non-biological parents, but it pushes parents to go it alone, when in fact children are a gift best shared.
- "Family is the greatest legacy." - For many, children are the ultimate sign of a life well-lived, and successes in other areas are discounted, but this book explores how women are making meaning beyond mothering and leaving a legacy predicated on more than DNA.

Interweaving Erin Lane's story with those of others who chose to go off-script - including singles and couples, stepparents and foster parents, the infertile and the ambivalent - SOMEONE OTHER THAN A MOTHER creates a vision for a woman's life that affirms the beauty of motherhood while decoupling female purpose from procreation.

Erin S. Lane is a theologian and author of Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe. She earned a Master's of Theological Studies with a focus on gender studies from Duke University and is a vocational retreat facilitator alongside Parker J. Palmer at the Center for Courage & Renewal. She resides with her improbable kin in Raleigh, North Carolina.