Good Morning All !
Whew! It sure generates a lot of reading when one takes a break.
Thanks for all of the things you wrote in reply to my stating I was going to take a break- I was a bit surprised to see all the replies that were there, and very touched upon reading them.
The morning news shows have started what I have come to see as an almost ritualistic introduction of the related book du jour, and Mother's Day is the next occasion.
I am all in favor of hearing about any new book, but it just cracks me up that all the sentiments start coming out that seem to be held up as standards for all children to feel.
Probably a lot of it is just something that hooks my particular issues. Also, it's media related, so that speaks for itself.
Last year, I took particular note of what the author was saying, and it seemed to me she was making a rather moralistic generalization that all daughters needed to do what she did. I felt guilty, and angry, but then I realized that I'm reacting out of my own stuff, and she's writing out of her own stuff. I might have been accurate in my perception of her overall attitude, but I might have been way off the mark. I do know that she made a statement that it was always the duaghter's responsibility to apologize first. Now I'm remembering a bit more! She was on another show and started backpedalling on what she really meant by that. So maybe others shared my perceptions, or maybe she reviewed a tape of her own interview.
I never read the book, but I got a lot of mileage from having had my little self- observation incident. This year, it hooked my stuff, but I'm not feeling the automatic- I'm such a bad daughter therefore a horrible person so keep trying and trying and then maybe someday you'll be able to feel what you're supposed to feel.
I still do get my mother a card, but it's always difficult to find one that is not hypocritical, but yet does not offend her sense of what she deserves.
Anyone else have any thoughts about Mother's Day - as daughters, mothers, and/or both?
cats paw
