Military mothering, responsibility, and children’s outdoor risky play: “I do not want my children to be afraid to try things”

Abstract

Mothers more than fathers are discursively produced as responsible for children’s safety. Wives of members in combat arms occupations in the military may have feelings of responsibility for their children’s safety that are shaped through their involvement in military culture. In this research, we examined the feelings of responsibility mothers partnered with members in combat arms occupations have for their children’s safety during outdoor risky play. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 mothers and used poststructural feminist theory and feminist methodologies. Our findings indicate military mothers feel responsible for their children’s safety during outdoor risky play, but they resist societal pressures to restrict it. Some of the mothers believed there is an increased pressure on women more than men to provide care for their children, and some expressed that being part of a military culture shaped their feelings of responsibility.