Mothers of Adult Children elucidates what happens when children come of age and leave home, creating new lives in the realms of work and relationships. Mothers from around the world learn that this is the point in which their relationships with their children must drastically change. Mothers often come to terms with the changes by accepting differences and providing moral and emotional support when needed. However, the evolutionary nature of mothers’ roles throughout the course of their children’s lives is not only determined by the mother-child dynamic. The mothering of adult children is a transformative role, and the stories presented here show that the dynamics between mother and child are also influenced by cultural events. Accidents, disasters, war, and other hardships also intervene in these stories of multicultural motherhood. This book reveals the problems mothers of adult children face and celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of those who mother through hardship.

Contributions by: Mirna E. Carranza, Susan Duenke, Nancy Gerber, Trish Green, Tabitha Holmes, Elizabeth Hormann, Sandra Jarvie, Anna Karin Kingston, Elzbieta Korolczuk, Deborah M. Merrill, Alison Nash, Chrissie Rogers, Ethel Morgan Smith, Jasmina Tešanovic, Linda White, Mary Woodville