The impulse to protect one’s children is, however, just as ancient - and more widespread. And it is precisely because it is so natural and widespread that more professional attention should be given to ‘unnatural feelings’ among parents, whether by OBGYNs or therapists or friends, whether feelings of apathy or something more violent. Even something as common as absent feelings of bonding accompanying postpartum depression is given scant attention, while the same issue in fathers is normalised; the result, in both cases, is that the problems are left untreated, and don’t always go away by themselves.

I know absolutely nothing about parenting or children but the knowledge that this is the social, taboo-fraught environment in which I would have to seek psychological assistance if needed makes me loath to start a family in the first place.

Edit: to clarify, I find the mother’s actions abhorrent and don’t mean to sympathise with a family annihilator, but I don’t think that adds much insight to the discussion

It sounds morbid, but there is an excellent fictionalised film about this that, I suppose, attempts to speculate about the factors that might have driven the mother to this; there was basically a third and very controlling person in the marriage to whom the father seemed to be closer than to his actual wife. The film is called Our Children (2012).

He’s just trying to help them manage their gas and electricity expenditures this winter.