"As a new generation of young mothers try to accomplish it all, having good careers and raising families, they also struggle to find common ground with their own mothers. We speak to two mothers about how their own moms have influenced them and how they are forging their own paths."
K Webster's post to the site:
My mom moved in with us about 5 and half years ago. She has Alzheimer's with stretches of lucidity. Our relationship wasn't "easy" growing up but I appreciate her love and willingness to do whatever it took for us to make it. There are days when it wears on me, but I have to say that I am grateful for the chance to care for her. I appreciate having to “come home” and face whatever was wrong there head on. Not always easy and not what I’d recommend for everyone. But for me it has been a gift. As a mother myself I have been humbled to realize what this job entails, with no institutional support for it. Within the Alzheimer's community, for instance, there is a clear institutionalized understanding of "respite care". Not so with mothering. You are expected to do this job without any real support system. The question I often ask is, “what was life like for my mother as a woman, as a caregiver?”
Posted by kathleen webster, 10:11 a.m. Monday, September 28 2009
1 comment:
Thank you for posting this. It makes me think about my own mother who had 8 pregnancies, 6 births, raised 5 children and struggled valiantly against ALS for 4 years. She was never paid a dime to do what she considered her life's greatest work- raising us.
I appreciate her now, more than ever...
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