For as long as many of us can remember, there’s been an assumption: that every little girl dreams of becoming a mother one day. The picture is familiar—tiny hands cradling baby dolls, playing house, or saying “when I grow up, I’ll have kids.” But here’s the truth: not all girls dream of becoming mothers. Some women, even as children, feel a deep certainty that motherhood isn’t their path. Others reach adulthood still waiting for the maternal instinct to “kick in,” only to dis

NPR's Juana Summers speaks to journalist and author Ruthie Ackerman about her new book, The Mother Code: My Story of Love, Loss, and the...