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My mom didn't like being a mom, and it's a mental block in my own path to motherhood. (I am not pregnant but am considering it within the next 1-2 years.) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 22, 2023 - 35 answers

"A good-enough mother like porn, we know her when we see her." -- Winnicott, probably? [more inside]
posted by MiraK on Feb 8, 2019 - 13 answers

Last week, I finally cut off my mother for trying to drive a wedge between me and my spouse again, repeatedly implying I was only angry because I must be mentally ill, and rewriting the last ten years of our relationship to make the problems between us purely the fault of my spouse's influence rather than the result years of increasing tension, mostly about my queerness. I want to know, as a sanity check, what good parent-child relationships look like even in the face of complications. Am I expecting too much? What is normal, and what is healthy? [more inside]
posted by sciatrix on Feb 25, 2017 - 38 answers

How do parents with anxiety protect their children from their own worries and fears? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 11, 2015 - 9 answers

Can you give me your best tips, tricks, and general guidance for being a stay-at-home mom of an older baby? As of next week I will be caring for our 8 month old by myself full time, and I'm scared! [more inside]
posted by crabintheocean on Aug 1, 2012 - 13 answers

Please help me evaluate a possible career move while pregnant with child #2. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 17, 2011 - 10 answers

Plenty of little boys want to grow up to be just like Dad. But to what extent (and how) are boys' interests/activities/identities influenced by their mothers? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph on Oct 22, 2008 - 22 answers

Looking for positive experiences where single parent and young child(en) were separated by great distances. Specifically, I am curious to know how it was made to work. [more inside]
posted by panoptican on Jan 3, 2008 - 9 answers

I hate my mum. She has done nothing to deserve this. How do I start loving her again? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 18, 2007 - 24 answers

My two-year-old niece doesn't like guys anymore. That wouldn't be such a big deal, but she also rejects her dad, which makes him sad. My sister wants to know, what can be done?

I remember reading an AskMe about ways to cope with a kid who prefers one parent over the other, but I couldn't find it (and I looked pretty hard).
posted by Turtle on Dec 22, 2004 - 12 answers

A co-worker and friend of mine is a single mother of three (girls of 6 and 11, son of 14). The boy is becoming more and more hostile and defiant by the day, and even ran away for several hours this past weekend. He's bright and creative, but seems to reserve his anger for the home. I'm fairly certain drugs/alcohol are not involved. Mom is at wit's end. I don't have kids myself so I feel unqualified giving advice. Anyone here who's been in the same situation? Any recommendations on how to go about beginning to try working this out? Counseling?
posted by sharksandwich on Feb 10, 2004 - 20 answers