Mothers and Daughters

Living, Loving, and Learning over a Lifetime

Suzanne Degges-White and Christine Borzumato-Gainey

In addition to the simple physiological and genetic bond that connects parents to their children, there is also a deeply rooted and often conflicting emotional bond that develops between mothers and daughters. The culture of motherhood has dramatically re-shaped itself over the past few decades as economics and politics have shifted in this nation. Single parenting is no longer the cultural taboo it once was perceived to be. Daughters and mothers are frequently spending a greater number of years under one roof as both emerging adults face financial challenges in trying to launch from the nest and older adults are living longer and often being cared for by daughters. Making sense of these relationships can be challenging and upsetting, rewarding and fulfilling, all at once.

Here, the authors discuss the roles of mother and daughter, and how they have changed and continue to grow, and present the stories of women from all walks of life, and from different age groups, to illustrate what being a mother, and being a daughter, really means to women in their everyday lives. They guide readers to a better understanding of their relationships, on a personal level, even as they describe the evolving nature of contemporary mother-daughter dynamics.

By providing women with a book that candidly explores the myriad paths and depths to which the mother-daughter relationship might wind, the authors help readers smooth over the difficulties and power struggles they may be experiencing with their mothers or their daughters, or both.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 238 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4422-1931-1 • Hardback • January 2014 • $57.00 • (£44.00)

978-1-4422-1932-8 • eBook • January 2014 • $54.00 • (£42.00)

Subjects: Family & Relationships / Parenting / Motherhood, Family & Relationships / General

Mothers and Daughters

Living, Loving, and Learning over a Lifetime

Hardback

eBook

Summary

In addition to the simple physiological and genetic bond that connects parents to their children, there is also a deeply rooted and often conflicting emotional bond that develops between mothers and daughters. The culture of motherhood has dramatically re-shaped itself over the past few decades as economics and politics have shifted in this nation. Single parenting is no longer the cultural taboo it once was perceived to be. Daughters and mothers are frequently spending a greater number of years under one roof as both emerging adults face financial challenges in trying to launch from the nest and older adults are living longer and often being cared for by daughters. Making sense of these relationships can be challenging and upsetting, rewarding and fulfilling, all at once.

Here, the authors discuss the roles of mother and daughter, and how they have changed and continue to grow, and present the stories of women from all walks of life, and from different age groups, to illustrate what being a mother, and being a daughter, really means to women in their everyday lives. They guide readers to a better understanding of their relationships, on a personal level, even as they describe the evolving nature of contemporary mother-daughter dynamics.

By providing women with a book that candidly explores the myriad paths and depths to which the mother-daughter relationship might wind, the authors help readers smooth over the difficulties and power struggles they may be experiencing with their mothers or their daughters, or both.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 238 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4422-1931-1 • Hardback • January 2014 • $57.00 • (£44.00)

978-1-4422-1932-8 • eBook • January 2014 • $54.00 • (£42.00)

Subjects: Family & Relationships / Parenting / Motherhood, Family & Relationships / General

Author

Suzanne Degges-White, PhD, LPC, LMHC, NCC, is Professor and Chair of the Counseling, Adult and Higher Education department at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL. She is also a licensed professional counselor. Her other books have addressed topics such as women’s friendships over the lifespan, counseling boys and young men, emerging adults, and expressive arts in clinical practice.

Christine Borzumato-Gainey, PhD, LPC, is a counselor and instructor at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. She is currently a Mental Health Counselor at the Elon University Counseling Center as well as Director of the BASICS program which addresses substance abuse concerns of students. She has over a decade of experience working within the college setting and is the author of several publications and presentations addressing this population and has also co-authored a book exploring female friendship over the lifespan.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Preface
Part I:The Maternal Instinct – American Style
1Becoming a Mother – Biology Influences Culture
2 The Social and Cultural Aspects of Motherhood
Part II:Mothers and Daughters over the Life Course
3Predictable Mother-Daughter Challenges over the Life Course
4 Learning to be a Mother: The Earliest Years
5 The Honeymoon Years: Daughters in Early Childhood
6 Living in the Hood: Teenage-hood
7 Mothering Adult Daughters: The Gift of Friendship
8 The Cycle Begins Again: Daughters becoming Mothers
9 And the Cycle Recycles: Daughters becoming Caregivers
Part III: A Mother’s Influence
10Sex and Sexuality – What do Mothers Teach?
11Lessons on Parental Separation and Divorce
12 Social Support: Your “Friends and (Extended) Family Network”
13Do Mothers Influence What We Want to Be When We Grow Up?
14Lessons in Economics and Finance
Part IV: The Maternal Legacy
15Shaping a Daughter’s Identity
16Learning the Maternal Role within Cultural Perspectives
17Attitude and Gratitude
Chapter Notes
Bibliography

Reviews

Mothers and Daughters is a fascinating read. It is an affirmation about the enduring strength of this most intimate of human bonds.
— Christiane Northrup, M.D., OB-GYN; author of the New York Times bestselling Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause

A welcome developmental tour of motherhood, daughterhood, and the ties that bind them together.
— Brett Laursen, Ph.D., professor of psychology, Florida Atlantic University

Every mother and every daughter will identify with this comprehensive and meaningful treatment of one of the most complex and intimate of relationships. But more than that, this book is a hugely important read for everyone, male and female. It provides insight leading to the understanding of our families and our world.
— JoAnn Deak, Ph. D, author of How Girls Thrive, Girls Will be Girls, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain and The Owner's Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain

This book covers almost all imaginable aspects of the mother-daughter relationship that a reader might wish to explore. The authors provide rich vignettes and a compelling narrative that capture the wisdom of the mother-daughter relationship in all its diversity. It is not only a great resource for mothers and daughters themselves, but also for therapists, clinicians, and students.
— Mudita Rastogi, Ph.D., professor, ISPP, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Arlington Heights, Illinois

Through sharing the voices of diverse women across the lifespan, the authors succeed beautifully in exploring the variations and emotional intricacies of mother-daughter intimacy. Like a garden of flowers unfolding, this book offers welcome complexity, depth, and nuance to the topic of mother-daughter connection.
— SuEllen Hamkins, MD, assistant director, Psychiatric Services Center for Counseling and Psychological Health University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Mothers and Daughters

Living, Loving, and Learning over a Lifetime

Suzanne Degges-White and Christine Borzumato-Gainey

Mothers and Daughters

Living, Loving, and Learning over a Lifetime

ALSO AVAILABLE