Mutha Magazine Article Allison Instant

Courtesy of the family archive

But something has shifted.

What Mutha understands—what Allison learned the hard way—is that motherhood is not primarily an emotional experience. It is a physical one. The body keeps the score. mutha magazine article allison

Allison’s book, “The Unbecoming,” is forthcoming from a small press she hasn’t decided on yet. She is not in a hurry. For the first time, she is not in a hurry. Courtesy of the family archive But something has shifted

Not: How can I help? Not: What do you need? But: Who will perform the functions of the mother, since you are abdicating the role? mutha magazine article allison

Her phone buzzed: a text from the school nurse. “Mila has a headache. Please pick up.”

That sentence became the title of Allison’s recovery.