“You must be the greatest mother in the world, but you must also, simultaneously, withdraw from your children's lives. You don't want to be the major force in their whole lives. You need to do the job adequately and as best you can, and then provide them with independence from you. You have to give them enough so that they won't need you anymore.” WorldWantNeedsGivingChildrenEnoughWholeJobsMotherForceMajorsIndependenceWhole LifeYour ChildrenNeed You Author:Josephine Humphreys
“Mothers tend to encourage their sons to run away and romp.... Mothers of little boys often complain that "There's no controlling him." "He's all over the place...." The complaints are tinged with more than a little pride at the boy's marvelous independence and masculine bravado. It's almost as though the mother enjoyed being overwhelmed by her spectacular conquering hero.” LittlesRunningMotherBoysSonPrideHeroIndependenceComplainingConquerEnjoyedRunning AwayMarvelousComplaintsOverwhelmedMasculineSpectacularLittle BoysBravadoBeing Overwhelmed Author:Louise J. Kaplan
“In a famous Middletown study of Muncie, Indiana, in 1924, mothers were asked to rank the qualities they most desire in their children. At the top of the list were conformity and strict obedience. More than fifty years later, when the Middletown survey was replicated, mothers placed autonomy and independence first. The healthiest parenting probably promotes a balance of these qualities in children.” YearsFirstsChildrenMotherDesireValuesQualityStudyBalanceIndependenceListsObedienceFiftyConformityStrictAutonomySurveysIndiana Author:Richard Louv