Friends for Life: Enriching The Bond Between Mothers And Their Adult Daughters - Hardcover

Jonas, Susan; Nissenson, Marilyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688146732 ISBN 13: 9780688146733

Publisher: William Morrow, 1997

Synopsis

When authors Susan Jonas and Marilyn Nissenson, each the mother of two daughters in their twenties, looked for a book focusing on the needs, hopes, and wishes of mothers of adult daughters, they couldn't find one. So they wrote it. Friends for Life is based on interviews with more than one hundred mothers who shared how they're coping with their daughters' choices of partner, career, and lifestyle. They reflected on their relationships with their own mothers, and on their expectations for how their relationships with their daughters might grow.

With consultation from Dr. Kathy Weingarten, clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, and other professionals, the authors present these intensely personal stories in a context that will help mothers communicate their thoughts and feelings more effectively during these crucial years when their daughters are becoming adults.

About this title

Review

There is an abundance of books designed to aid parents in guiding their children through adolescence, but few are aimed at those whose kids are no longer kids. Since the role of parent is never outgrown (as desirable as the idea may sound at times), a new communication approach is necessary for parents to foster a close bond with their adult children. With daughters in their 20s, Susan Jonas and Marilyn Nissenson are familiar with the unique mother-daughter dynamic and the inherent paradox in bridging the gap between friendship and mothering. Friends for Life is their attempt to assuage the confusion by sharing the wisdom gathered by various women. To help answer their questions, the authors enlisted some experts in the field, interviewing more than 100 mothers from across the U.S. about the joys, frustrations, and complexities of simultaneously reaching out and letting go. The compilation of experience, warnings, and words of wisdom is both instructive and endearing, and the anecdotes are sure to elicit nods of recognition. Touchy subjects such as selecting a partner, choosing a career, and lifestyle choices are discussed honestly and fairly, accounting for generational differences and malleable societal norms. There is a razor-fine line between dispensing advice and nagging, between expectations and unconditional support, and the authors argue that recognizing these boundaries is essential to a healthy and loving relationship with a daughter. As with most good advice, the real value is in spreading it around.

About the Author

Susan Jonas, a writer and book editor, has been a picture editor at Time-Life Books, deputy picture editor of Time magazine, and picture editor of Discover. She is also the editor of numerous books, including Ellis Island: Echoes of a Nations Past and Forced Out: The Agony of the Refugee in Our Time. Together with Marilyn Nissenson, she authored Snake Charm, Going, Going, Gone: Vanishing Americana, Cuff Links, and The Ubiquitous. Jonas lives in New York City.

Marilyn Nissenson has been a writer and a producer for CBS, NBC, and PBS. Together with Susan Jonas she authored Snake Charm, Going, Going, Gone: Vanishing Americana, Cuff Links, and The Ubiquitous. She lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0688146732
• ISBN 13: 9780688146733
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256