The recognition that claiming parental identity—or rejecting it—is a fundamental right requiring courage, intellectual integrity, and resistance to social coercion.
Sor Juana explicitly refused the predetermined path of marriage and motherhood available to women of her era, choosing instead the convent and intellectual life. This concept centers the ethical right to determine one's own identity rather than accept society's assignment. For contemporary parents, this translates into the freedom to question inherited narratives about what parenting should look like, and for those becoming or losing parental identity, it validates the act of choice itself as sacred. This tradition teaches that parental identity claims their full weight and dignity only when freely chosen, not imposed. Whether embracing parenthood unconventionally or declining it entirely, the right to refuse prescribed identity protects against hollow performance and enables authentic becoming. This framework acknowledges that identity loss often follows the collapse of an identity one never truly chose in the first place.
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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