"Many a loving mother has had fleeting feelings of hatred toward her children - the desire to hurl a howling baby out the window or to lock a teenager out of the house. In this provocative book, Rozsika Parker argues that these ambivalent feelings not only are common but can actually have a creative impact on mothering." "Mother Love/Mother Hate boldly illustrates how a mother's desire for devotion coexists with the impulse to hurt and desert. Parents will find Parker's insight into the conflicts that beset them illuminating and deeply reassuring. Reversing the conventional psychoanalytic approach, in which maternal ambivalence has been understood chiefly from the point of view of the child, this book gives precedence to the mother's perspective. Drawing on interviews with mothers, clinical material from her practice as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and a wide range of psychoanalytic and literary sources (including Virginia Woolf, Anne Tyler, Simone de Beauvoir, D. W. Winnicott, Melanie Klein, and John Bowlby), Parker explores experiences of maternal ambivalence in a culture painfully and profoundly uneasy about its very existence."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

With Mothers Who Can't Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters, Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of the smash #1 bestseller Toxic Parents, offers a powerful look at the devastating impact unloving mothers have on their daughters—and provides clear, effective techniques for overcoming that painful legacy. In more than 35 years as a therapist, Forward has worked with large numbers of women struggling to escape the emotional damage inflicted by the women who raised them. Subjected to years of criticism, competition, role-reversal, smothering control, emotional neglect and abuse, these women are plagued by anxiety and depression, relationship problems, lack of confidence, and difficulties with trust. They doubt their worth, and even their ability to love. Forward examines the Narcissistic Mother, the Competitive Mother, the Overly Enmeshed mother, the Control Freak, Mothers who need Mothering, and mothers who abuse or fail to protect their daughters from abuse. Filled with compelling case histories, Mothers Who Can’t Love outlines the self-help techniques Forward has developed to transform the lives of her clients, showing women how to overcome the pain of childhood and how to act in their own best interests. Warm and compassionate, Mothers Who Can’t Love offers daughters the emotional support and tools they need to heal themselves and rebuild their confidence and self-respect.

This book is about babies and mothers, but also about fathers, adolescents, lovers and others. Dr. Costello explores, among other themes, eighteen reasons why mothers hate their babies, even as they love them. It's a book of aphorisms intended for everyone because childhood experiences affect us all. A lecturer in philosophy and psychology, Dr. Costello draws on a wealth of material; he shares the reflections of philosophers and psychoanalysts on a subject he clearly finds fascinating. --Amazon.com

It's one of the oldest triangles: mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and the son/husband trapped in between. Now, Susan Barash gives readers the tools to better understand the insecurities, generational jealousies and power struggles that are inherent in these relationships. Combining candid accounts from real mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law with sound advice from noted psychologists and counselors, Barash gives insight into this complex dynamic and shows readers how to create mutually independent and rewarding relationships that allow mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law and sons/husbands to grow.

For mothers who are reeling from the rockiness of an ever-changing adolescent, or struggling with a relationship that's deteriorating by the day, here is encouragement, reassurance, and great advice. "I'm Not Mad, I Just Hate You!" discusses the social, emotional, cultural, and psychological issues that can lead to mother-daughter conflicts. It offers illuminating and very recognizable case studies, and demonstrates how mother-daughter friction during adolescence can actually empower girls by teaching them invaluable skills. By providing mothers with much-needed encouragement and practical strategies to help their daughters grow into emotionally healthy and capable adults, "I'm Not Mad, I Just Hate You!" can transform the tempestuous teenage years into years of positive, enriching growth.

One beautiful summer night, Felicity was having SO MUCH FUN playing in her back yard, until Mom came and said: "Felicity, it's time to come inside. It's time to go to bed." From there, Felicity's FUN and HAPPY moment quickly turns into ANGRY "I hate you, Mom!" How could Felicity and Mom turn this ANGRY moment into a moment of LOVE? How could this be a story of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE? One of the many challenges we face as parents at some points in our parenting journey is the moment when our children act out from the principle of "I'M HURTING, SO I HURT YOU." In these challenging moments filled with RAW EMOTIONS, we as parents often get sucked into the intensity and we take it personally, feeling ATTACKED and HURT. As a result, we tend to react with the same principle, failing to RESPOND CALMLY with LOVE. Your children, you, and the parent-child relationship are all hurt in the process. It is my hope that this story inspires children, parents, and families to appreciate those intense moments as great OPPORTUNITIES to learn about UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Use these challenges as stepping stones to continue nurturing RELATIONSHIP of TRUST. When children have opportunities to experience "unconditional love" with you in action, they not only learn to love you and others unconditionally, but they also learn to love themselves unconditionally. The gift of UNCONDITIONAL SELF-LOVE can offer a healthier and more balanced foundation for our children as they continue to explore their life journey ahead.