Parent-child relationships have proved rich fodder for writers since biblical times. Today, there seems to be a plethora of contemporary authors focusing on mother-daughter relationships, more so than any others. Is this because women read more books than men do today? Perhaps.
Or is it because more women are being published today, and authors tend to write what they know?
Jane Austin exposed many a maternal foible and child’s resultant angst in Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibilities. Today’s novelists continue to explore this family strife with books like The Red Tent, My Sister’s Keeper, and Bridget Jones’s Diary as do screen writers with films like The Ya Ya Sisterhood, Steel Magnolias, and The Jane Austin Book Club..
So, why all this angst between mothers and daughters? I have a pet theory.
Human females are cyclic, hormonal animals. As mothers go into menopause, their daughters are usually entering estrus. Not a good combination. Since alpha females tend to influence other females’ cycles within their household, the result is a mega load of hormones careening around four walls causing many a voice to rise and many a tear to flow. Is this nature’s way of insuring our chicks flee their comfy nests in timely fashion to bring forth the next generation? I strongly suspect so.
And in this process we often forgive but rarely forget…wherein the conflict lies.
The good news: Daughters do grow up and often become mothers. Finally understanding what you were trying to accomplish, they send you flowers on Mother’s Day with a note saying, “Thank you.”
So what book or movie touched your heart? Did you see yourself and your mother in?
Sandy, the mother of Alex and identical twins, Rachael and Rebecca
Or is it because more women are being published today, and authors tend to write what they know?
Jane Austin exposed many a maternal foible and child’s resultant angst in Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibilities. Today’s novelists continue to explore this family strife with books like The Red Tent, My Sister’s Keeper, and Bridget Jones’s Diary as do screen writers with films like The Ya Ya Sisterhood, Steel Magnolias, and The Jane Austin Book Club..
So, why all this angst between mothers and daughters? I have a pet theory.
Human females are cyclic, hormonal animals. As mothers go into menopause, their daughters are usually entering estrus. Not a good combination. Since alpha females tend to influence other females’ cycles within their household, the result is a mega load of hormones careening around four walls causing many a voice to rise and many a tear to flow. Is this nature’s way of insuring our chicks flee their comfy nests in timely fashion to bring forth the next generation? I strongly suspect so.
And in this process we often forgive but rarely forget…wherein the conflict lies.
The good news: Daughters do grow up and often become mothers. Finally understanding what you were trying to accomplish, they send you flowers on Mother’s Day with a note saying, “Thank you.”
So what book or movie touched your heart? Did you see yourself and your mother in?
Sandy, the mother of Alex and identical twins, Rachael and Rebecca
A Highlander For Christmas, Zebra, available now
8 comments:
Hi Sandy!
Love your books and your pet theory on mother-daughter relationships.
If I had to pick a movie as a comparison it might be Monster-in-law. LOL
Actually I get aong with my mum as long as we don't go head to head in debate. ;c)
~Kimberly
Cute, Kimberly! And thanks for the sweet words about my books.
I was fortunate in the mother-in-law department. My dh's mother told me on the day Scott and I got married, "If you two ever get divorced, it will all be his fault." (I think she liked me. )
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
Nice to see you here. :)
Hi Dina,
I'm happy to be here. 99% of the time I can't access Google blogs. (They reject every password I come up with, including the original. Leena was kind enough to provide me with hers, so I might post.
Sandy
Hi Sandy!
You know, I nevr thought about the mother-daughter hormone swings being nature's way of urging the daughter from the nest. Makes sense, though, and is rather like the high school seniors conflicting with parents on the way to leaving for college.
I see mother-daughter foibles in about every book or movie that features them. One that springs to mind (in a funny and touching way) is the Debutant Dropout series by Susan McBride. Or the High Heels series by Gemma Halliday.
Thanks for a terrific mother's blog on Mother's Day, and may you have a hormone-free, happy day!
Light,
Nancy
La Vida Vampire
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for dropping by. I haven't read either series but will look for them. (Last night the only book in the house I could find that I hadn't read at least once was The Complete Collection of Gaelic Proverbs--a real snoozer.)
And speaking of series, the best of luck with your debut series featuring your charming lady vamp. Everyone has read your debut book has loved it.
(The book is set in St. Augustine, FL, the oldest city in North America. The heroine has been trapped for centuries but is now loose in a world she doesn't recognize. Charming and funny.)
Happy Mom's Day to you!!
Sandy
I had the best of all examples: a
strong mother and a sweet, totally accepting mother-in-law! Life with
them was what I hope to be for my
children!!
Pat Cochran
The mother-daughter relationship is definitely a roller coaster ride. I think so much is written since there is rarely a more important influence on a woman than her mother.
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