Parenting in later life: Adaptive illusion in elderly mothers of one child

This article explores (1) the relationship between elderly mothers of one child and their son or daughter and (2) the impact of that relationship on mothers' current and future well-being. Data from ethnographic interviews of twenty mothers of one, and twenty mothers of four or more children were compared for thematic content. Mothers of only children were found to be child-focused to the exclusion of other life-enriching activities, and singularly dependent on their son or daughter for self-validation. Significant in the interview material of single-childed mothers was the use of illusion as a tool for defusing disappointment in, or fabricating closeness to the child.