There are as many descriptions of motherhood as there are experiences of
it. This makes the whole notion of motherhood a very illusive term. It
is a term that is impossible to be taken impersonally. We immediately
add our own conceptions, good or bad, to the word. Motherhood can
conjure up an image of a tyrant with an iron will, a warm bosom to lean
on, a complex enigma that was never unravelled. We might neglect to
investigate what motherhood has meant or means to us, but the whole
notion of motherhood comes back to haunt us, whether we want it to or
not. It's as impossible to ignore as it is fascinating to explore. With
that in mind, Mary Miller and her daughter Teresa Miller Archer thought
it might be helpful and useful to have various women tell their own
mother and daughter stories. The stories will identify various notions
of motherhood for these ladies, from the perspective of being a daughter
or from the experience of being a mother. What does or did that look
like? How have their perspectives remained the same or changed through
the years? The editors hope is that the reader can glean out of these
stories what they will. Perhaps picking up clues that will help mothers
and daughters in their own relationships.