Mothering Against the Odds

Mothering Against the Odds
Author: Cynthia T. García Coll
Publisher: Guilford Publication
Total Pages: 288
Release: 1998
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 9781572303393

This work provides a look at the experience of mothers whose diverse life circumstances put them outside the realm of the traditional "good mother". The chapters portray women whose mothering is often maligned, misunderstood or ignored - mothers of exceptional children, adolescents and biracial children; mothers with HIV/AIDS; immigrant, lesbian, homeless, single, adoptive and teen mothers; African American mothers on welfare; and mothers in prison. Using first-person narrative, focus group data, qualitative research and clinical interviewing, these stories challenge dominant cultural stereotypes. The volume provides a way of reframing clinical practice, developmental theory, and public policy away from blaming mothers and toward understanding and respecting their unique adaptations to specific, often difficult, societal demands.

Mothering Against the Odds

Mothering Against the Odds
Author: Cynthia Garcia-Coll
Publisher: Guilford Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 1998-04-17
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 9781572303300

We all know what a "good mother" looks like on television and in the popular imagination: typically she is white, heterosexual, and married, and devotes herself full-time to child care. But increasing numbers of women who mother today do not fit this narrow traditional image,and their different experiences of mothering are often maligned, misunderstood, or ignored.This compelling book presents the stories of diverse mothers whose life circumstances place them outside the mainstream. Filled with the voices of the women themselves, chapters explore the lives of mothers of exceptional children and biracial children; mothers who seek closeness and connection with their adolescentchildren; mothers with HIV/AIDS; immigrant, homeless, single, lesbian, adoptive, and teen mothers; African American mothers living in poverty; and mothers in prison. Their vivid, heartfelt accounts demonstrate the unique strengths of women struggling to overcome personal and societal barriers and take us beyond labeling entire groups of mothers as normal or deviant, "good" or "bad."

Incarcerated Mothers: Oppresssion and Resistance

Incarcerated Mothers: Oppresssion and Resistance
Author: Gordana Eljdupovic
Publisher: Demeter Press
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2013-05-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1927335663

A large proportion—and in many jurisdictions the majority—of incarcerated women are mothers. Popular attention is often paid to challenges faced by children of incarcerated mothers while incarcerated women themselves often do not “count” as mothers in mainstream discourse. This is the first anthology on incarcerated mothers’ experiences that is primarily based on and reflects the Canadian context. It is also trans- national in scope as it covers related issues from other countries around the world. These essays examine connections between mothering and incarceration, from analysis of the justice system and policies, criminalization of motherhood, to understanding experiences of mothers in prisons as presented in their own voices. They highlight structures and processes which shape and ascribe incarcerated woman’s identity as a mother, juxtaposing it with scripted and imposed mainstream norms of a “good” or “real” mother. Moreover, these essays identify and track emergence of mothers’ resistance and agency within and in spite of the confines of their circumstances.

Against All Odds: a Mother's Struggle to Survive

Against All Odds: a Mother's Struggle to Survive
Author: Treshia Green
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2012-03-09
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1468555588

THIS BOOK IS TO ENCOURAGE ALL MOTHERS THAT CANNOT VISUALIZE THE END OF THEIR STORMS. ALTHOUGH MANY OF YOU MAY NOT HAVE TRAVELED THROUGH THE STORMS MY MOTHER OVERCAME, SHE IS SPEAKING OUT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE CLOUDS WILL DEPART, AND THE SUN WILL DEFINITELY SHINE. SHE IS A LIVING WITNESS TO WHAT GOD CAN AND WILL DO IF YOU KEEP THE FAITH AND SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO HIM. SHE REPEATS THE 23rd CHAPTER OF PSALSMS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AND SHE HAS NEVER BEEN STEERED WRONG.

Handbook of Adoption

Handbook of Adoption
Author: Rafael A. Javier
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 585
Release: 2007
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1412927501

'Handbook of Adoption' addresses topics in adoption that reflect the many dimensions of theory, research, development, race adjustment and clinical practice which can affect adoption triad members.

Motherhood Reimagined

Motherhood Reimagined
Author: Sarah Kowalski
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2017-10-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1631522736

At the age of thirty-nine, Sarah Kowalski heard her biological clock ticking, loudly. A single woman harboring a deep ambivalence about motherhood, Kowalski needed to decide once and for all: Did she want a baby or not? More importantly, with no partner on the horizon, did she want to have a baby alone? Once she revised her idea of motherhood—from an experience she would share with a partner to a journey she would embark upon alone—the answer came up a resounding Yes. After exploring her options, Kowalski chose to conceive using a sperm donor, but her plan stopped short when a doctor declared her infertile. How far would she go to make motherhood a reality? Kowalski catapulted herself into a diligent regimen of herbs, Qigong, meditation, acupuncture, and more, in a quest to improve her chances of conception. Along the way, she delved deep into spiritual healing practices, facing down demons of self-doubt and self-hatred, ultimately discovering an unconventional path to parenthood. In the end, to become a mother, Kowalski did everything she said she would never do. And she wouldn't change a thing. A story of personal triumph and unconditional love, Motherhood Reimagined reveals what happens when we release what's expected and embrace what's possible.

Mothering on the Edge

Mothering on the Edge
Author: Brooke Richardson
Publisher: Demeter Press
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2022-08-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1772584118

This book brings critical, scholarly attention to the systematic positioning and subjective experiences of mothers involved in child protection processes in “ risk” -based child protection systems (Parton, Thorpe and Wattam; Connolley; Swift and Callahan). While mothers are typically the primary focus of child protection prevention and investigations (Azzopardi et al.; Fallon et al.; Swift and Callahan), their gendered experiences, challenges and triumphs are seldom given space in the academic literature, practice and/or public spaces to be seen or heard. Chapters in this volume build on existing literature to illustrate the structural positioning and/or lived experiences of mothers who come into contact with child protection for a variety of reasons: substance (ab)use, positive HIV status, child injury, fetal alcohol syndrome, colonial assessment methodologies, young age, incarceration, childbirth, and intimate partner violence. This book offers three unique contributions to existing literature on mothering in child protection. First, it creates space for mothers involved in child protection to have their voices heard. Second, it acknowledges the centrality of mothers' subjective experience in keeping children safe. Finally, it challenges dominant, often dehumanizing narratives of mothers in involved in child protection through providing a more nuanced understanding of their lives. Ultimately this anthology calls for a fundamental rethinking of how mothers involved in child protection proceedings are conceptualized in child protection research, policy and practice. It is recommended that mothers voices must be central to humanely reforming child protection systems.

Natural Family Living

Natural Family Living
Author: Peggy O'Mara
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2000-03
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0671027441

From preconception to adolescence to creating a healthy family lifestyle, this guide covers health during pregnancy and natural childbirth; healthful eating for the whole family; uses and abuses of TV, computers and video games; discipline issues; and more.

Autonomous Motherhood?

Autonomous Motherhood?
Author: Susan B. Boyd
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2015-05-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1442619104

Since the end of the Second World War, increasing numbers of women have decided to become mothers without intending the biological father or a partner to participate in parenting. Many conceive via donor insemination or adopt; others become pregnant after a brief sexual relationship and decide to parent alone. Using a feminist socio-legal framework, Autonomous Motherhood? probes fundamental assumptions within the law about the nature of family and parenting. Drawing on a range of empirical evidence, including legislative history, case studies, and interviews with single mothers, the authors conclude that while women may now have the economic and social freedom to parent alone, they must still negotiate a socio-legal framework that suggests their choice goes against the interests of society, fatherhood, and children.

Literary Mama

Literary Mama
Author: Andrea J. Buchanan
Publisher: Seal Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2009-11-10
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1580053351

Becoming a mother takes more than the physical act of giving birth or completing an adoption: it takes birthing oneself as a mother through psychological, intellectual, and spiritual work that continues throughout life. Yet most women’s stories of personal growth after motherhood tend to remain untold. As writers and mothers, Andrea Buchanan and Amy Hudock were frustrated by what they perceived as a lack of writing by mothers that captured the ambiguity, complexity, and humor of their experiences. So they decided to create the place they wanted to find, with the kind of writing they wanted to read. This unique collection features the best of the online magazine literarymama.com, a site devoted to mama-centric writing with fresh voices, superior craft, and vivid imagery. While the majority of literature on parenting is not literary or is not written by mothers, this book is both. Including creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, Literary Mama celebrates the voices of the maternally inclined, paves the way for other writer mamas, and honors the difficult and rewarding work women do as they move into motherhood.