Christine Whittaker
Parent-Child Relations
10/25/12
I, Christine Marie Whittaker, was born on December the 24th 1990, in Chicago, Illinois. I come from a family of six members which includes my father, mother, older brother, and two younger sisters. My mother is the reason I am who I am today. As a result, I have decided to write about our relationship in this essay.
My mother played a vital role in shaping my personality, character, morals, and self esteem. I love the way Dr. Northrup describes the importance of a healthy mother-daughter relationship; "I firmly believe that the mother-daughter bond is designed by nature to become the most empowering, compassionate, intimate relationship we 'll ever have" (Northrup, 2006). I would take it a step further by saying it’s a design by God to create the most magnificent women possible. There are numerous benefits to daughters having healthy attachments to their mothers. For example, according to (Heath, 2013), a healthy attachment to one’s mother predicts better conflict resolution behavior. I have come to learn that mothers can take on several different and distinct parenting patterns –authoritarian, permissive, and indulgent to name a few. This essay will discuss the distinct relationship that I have with my mother. It will also talk about the positive and negative influences that my relationship with my mother is having in my life.
From infancy, my mother has loved me with the deepest and sincerest love possible. My mother can be summed up as an authoritative parent. An authoritative parent is one who “acquires a balance of three key aspects of parents’ behavior toward their children- nuturance, discipline, and respect” (Heath, 2013). I can honestly say that my mother has always nurtured my talents, behavior, academic abilities, and spiritual life. This has caused many positive outcomes and a few negative ones in my life. To clarify, because of my
References: Heath, P. (2013). Parent-child relations. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Northrup, C. (2006). Mother-daughter wisdom: Understanding the crucial link between mothers, daughters, and health. (1st ed.). Hay House, Inc.