Intensive Mothering

Intensive mothering is a "child-centered, expert-guided, emotionally absorbing, labor-intensive, and financially expensive" way of raising children, as described by sociologist Sharon Hays. IIntensive mothering requires constant observation of children.

ntensive mothering relies on security strategies, which refers to a series of mothering behaviors that are supposed to create security for an individual's children or herself. This can be either physical -- safety and health -- or emotional -- comfort and love.

Many mothers turn to security strategies to deal with the uncertainty of the economy, political climate, and even one's personal life. Seeking security in one's mothering practices allows women to assert some certainty over their uncertain lives. As our society has turned into a "risk society," in which people perceive lots of risk, there was a simultaneous intensification of parenting strategies. Our society now views intensive parenting as the way to mother "correctly." See "attachment theory" for more info.

Intensive parenting has been the standard for upper-middle-class parents dating back to the 1990s. Given the amount of time, energy, and resources intensive mothering requires mothers to give to their children, intensive mothering is a classist phenomenon that alienates mothers of other classes.