Mothering Against the Odds

Download or read book Mothering Against the Odds written by Cynthia T. García Coll and published by Guilford Publication. This book was released on 1998 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.