The Mom Factor: Dealing With the Mother You Had, Didn't Have, or Still Contend With - Hardcover

Cloud, Henry; Townsend, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0310200369 ISBN 13: 9780310200369

Publisher: Zondervan, 1996

Synopsis

Describes various styles of mothering, provides advice for adults on how to reconcile with their mothers, and discusses the conflict between nurturing and outside work

About this title

From the Publisher:

Synopsis:
A 15-year-old South Carolina girl endured being chained to her mother 24 hours a day for a month as a court-ordered punishment for skipping school. Many adults would consider that cruel and unusual punishment. However, clinical psychologists Henry Cloud and John Townsend have found that pinpointing and resolving conflicts with one’s mother are crucial to a healthy, adult life. "Mothering is the most significant, demanding, and underpaid profession around," say Cloud and Townsend. "Yet, for many, mom also means conflicts or problems." In their new book, The Mom Factor: Dealing with the mother you had, didn’t have, or still contend with, Cloud and Townsend identify six "mom types," that explain "how the mothering process breaks down in different ways." The results of these unhealthy mothering styles are relational, functional, spiritual, and emotional problems in the adult. The "Phantom Mom"—an absent and detached mother—can result in the adult child never learning how to connect and be intimate with others. The adult child of a "China Doll Mom"—unable to deal with unpleasant or stressful life situations—avoids strong or negative emotions and withdraws from others when hurt or angry. In The Mom Factor, the authors take one chapter to "describe the problem and the needs that may not have been met by each of the ‘mom types.’" Then a following chapter provides "the steps to meeting needs that were unmet, and repairing whatever was broken." The authors conclude by focusing on "the unique issues that women and men have with mothers, including their own tasks as parents." The Mom Factor Workbook, available separately, asks frank, soul-searching questions to help readers determine what kind of mother they had, how their mother has shaped who they are today, and how to change into the person they want to be.

From the Back Cover:

No one has influenced the person you are today like your mother. The way she handled your needs as a child has shaped your worldview, your relationships, your marriage, your career, your self-image -- your life. The Mom Factor can help you identify areas that need reshaping, to make positive choices for personal change, and to establish a nature relationship with Mom today. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend steer you down a path of discovery and growth beyond the effects of six common mom types: - The Phantom Mom . . . - The China Doll Mom - The Controlling Mom . . . - The Trophy Mom - The Still-the-Boss Mom . . . The American Express Mom -- You'll learn how your mom affected you as a child and may still be affecting you today. And you'll find a realistic and empowering approach to filling your unmet mothering needs in healthy, life-changing ways through other people. The Mom Factor is a biblical route to wholeness and growth, to deeper and more satisfying bonds with your family, friends, and spouse -- and to a new, healthier way of relating to your mother today.

About this edition

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0310200369
• ISBN 13: 9780310200369
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 255