Summary

In “Hell’s Kitchen” (125), Cusk comments on two newspaper articles she read that were written by men — one a new father bemoaning his recent loss of freedom, the other a jaded father of three emphasizing the absurdly difficult nature of parenthood. Both mention the encroachment of parenthood on social pleasures such as shopping and spending time with friends. Cusk acknowledges the truth in their perspectives of the hellishness of parenting, but also suggests that it is significant that these articles are written by men, as women do not often respond with outrage or incredulity to the reality of childcare — she considers that perhaps there is an evolutionary imperative involved in this. She reflects on how mothers are prone to confiding in other mothers about the gory details of parenthood while keeping such details from...