Why Do Moms Leave Their Children?

Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday, but not every mom is pleased to carry the mantle.

Some are even walking off the job.

In an opinion piece on CNN.com, parenting author Peggy Drexler writes that "reports would seem to indicate that the number of moms who ... run away -- or at least walk away -- is increasing."

Drexler cites an increase in the number of single fathers, and several anecdotal examples of mothers who simply took off:

There's Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, who wrote in an essay for Salon.com that she realized, when her sons were 3 and 5 that she didn't want to be a full-time mother anymore. There are even support groups now for women who decide to leave their children.

Why do some moms leave? Here's what Rizzuto says in the Salon article:

My problem was not with my children, but with how we think about motherhood. About how a male full-time caretaker is a “saint,” and how a female full-time caretaker is a “mother.” It is an equation we do not question; in fact we insist on it. And we punish the very idea that there are other ways to be a mother.

Are moms expected to do too much these days? What's the best way to be a mother? How can society support good moms? Share your thoughts in the comments below.