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People talk about both "Yesteryear" and Lindsay Clancy in a way that almost relishes in their failures.

Many women are trying their best to measure up to some “ideal motherhood” that does not exist.

Mothers should craft their own rules, in collaboration with the people and voices that they cherish the most.

Warning: This post contains discussion of postpartum psychosis and a case involving child death. There are intentionally no descriptions of the case; however, some readers may choose to avoid this topic altogether.

I am a therapist who has worked with postpartum psychosis in a variety of settings. I do not shy away from difficult topics. So why, when the Lindsay Clancy trial started, did I avoid this case with every fiber of my being? Because it showed me something I simply did not want to confront: America loves to watch mothers fail.

The Cultural Obsession With Mothers' Failure

This thought came to me when I was on a conference call with Postpartum Support International (PSI). Somehow we managed not to talk about Clancy—instead, we talked about Yesteryear. This has been the book of the summer.........

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