Intensive mothering is the ultimate female Olympics: We are all in powerful competition with each other, in constant danger of being trumped by the mom down the street, or in the magazine we're reading. The competition isn't just over who's a good mother--it's over who's the best. We compete with each other; we compete with ourselves. The best mothers always put their kids' needs before their own, period.

The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined All Women (ed. Simon and Schuster, 2005) - ISBN: 9780743260466