The principle that becoming a parent need not extinguish one's identity as a thinker, creator, and knowledge-seeker.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz refused to abandon her intellectual pursuits upon entering religious life, asserting that the mind's development was inseparable from human dignity. For parents navigating identity loss, this concept reclaims the notion that parental duties and intellectual becoming are not mutually exclusive. The tension Sor Juana experienced—between institutional expectations and personal truth—mirrors modern parents who fear losing themselves in caregiving. Her legacy teaches that defending one's right to think, create, and grow is not selfish but essential to modeling full humanity for children. Parents can honor both their role and their inner life by refusing false binaries between devotion and self-development.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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