Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the most popular writers, philosophers, and speaker on the rights of women. Many female writers who followed after her, wrote in relation to original works by Mary herself. While advocating women's rights, she also was a school teacher and had worked at many orphanages, and developed works pertaining to the development of the child psyche. She advocates guidelines of parenthood with stern rules to follow, this essay follows up on that. Give it a read!    

            Mary Wollstonecraft’s writing seems as though it takes on the burden in laying the rules of parental and childhood guidelines, from a civil duty perspective; that her words draw not from her fascination as an educator or prolific matriarchal figure to her readers, but instead her obligation to show the values that women and child care-givers could gather behind and live by.  In Wollstonecraft’s Thoughts on the Education of Daughters: with Reflections in The more important Duties of Life, she calls upon specific examples or references to situations that form from outcomes of specific scenarios, so that the reader may gather an instructive complex for a healthy growth and education of their children.

            One of the set ups that Wollstonecraft offers that may aid in the parent-child relationship is her example from “The Nursery”. She offers that “Children, who are left to the care of ignorant nurses, have their stomachs overloaded with improper food, which turns acid, and renders them very uncomfortable” (Wollstonecraft 7). This scenario dictates to mothers that they must “suckle” or nurse their children; Wollstonecraft explains the aftereffects of not nursing, and offers the solution.

            Another example we see comes from the section “Moral Discipline”, where Wollstonecraft explains the outcomes of children and their questions. All parents are eager to lean new methods to exercise when it comes to raising their child, and Wollstonecraft realizes this, and so in her examples is direct and convincing, offering a supportive wealth of knowledge for the unsure parent. Wollstonecraft contends that children are “mostly fond of stories, and proper ones would improve them, even while they are amused. Instead of these, their heads are filled with improbable tales, and superstitious accounts of invisible beings, which breed strange prejudices and vain fears in their minds.” (Wollstonecraft 10). She offers that parents must always give reasonable and fitting response. Wollstonecraft again here shows how detrimental to child’s development may become, if certain procedures are ignored.

            Lastly, Wollstonecraft remarks on how clothing can be harmful to the fragile psyche of a child. In her section titled, “Dress” she explains that the outer expressiveness of clothing that a child selects is more “unnatural” than anything else. Wollstonecraft writes; “ It gives rise to envy, and contests for trifling superiority, which do not render a woman very respectable to the other sex” (Wollstonecraft 16). We see again that although it may be of her opinion, Wollstonecraft’s predicted conclusion for the discount of the smaller things, like nursing, stories, and dress, can serve as vehicles for active parental involvement for growing children.

Works Cited:

Wollstonecraft, Mary. Thoughts on the Education of Daughters, with Reflections on Female Conduct in the More Important Duties of Life,. Clifton [N.J.: A.M. Kelley, 1972. Print.