Bless this Mess: Taylor Frankie Paul and a (New?) Mormon, Maternal Archetype

This paper takes as its primary subject the archetype of Mormon motherhood, Taylor Frankie Paul, whose public and private persona as a Mormon wife serves as the primary text from which to explore the archetype of the single mother, the co-parent, and the divorcée through the lens of Mormonism and Mormon history.  Particularly salient for this paper will be the ways that the priesthood functions and has functioned for unmarried or divorced mothers, as well as what structures exist and have existed to support these women. Equally important to this study of the frameworks in which mothers like Paul operate are the ways that Mormon mothers experience and have experienced the messiness of this role.  Is and has there been space for mess for Mormon mothers?  What does being a “good mother” mean in a world where mess is a given?