For Mothers of Difficult Daughters; How to Enrich and Repair the Relationship in Adulthood [Paperback]

Charney Herst (Author), Lynette Padwa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 1999

The first mother-daughter book for mothers, featuring a new Afterword and a Reading Group Discussion Guide

¸         Do you long for a better relationship with your daughter?
¸         Do you occasionally feel as though you have failed as a mother?
¸         Do you blame yourself because your relationship with your daughter is strained, faltering,
        or nonexistent?
¸         Do you feel that the relationship is unchangeable and that there is no chance that it could
        become a nurturing and deeply satisfying friendship?

Dr. Charney Herst knows that there is always more than one side to a story, and in her book, For Mothers of Difficult Daughters, she uses her twenty-five years of experience as counselor and group therapist to provide mothers with solutions that work. In the book she first helps you understand your particular relationship with your grown daughter--untangling the complex web of personal history and intense emotion inherent in any mother-daughter relationship. Then she describes practical, successful, mother-tested steps you can take to repair this all-important bond.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is something of value in this book for every mother and daughter."
--The Island Reporter (Sanibel, Florida)

From the Inside Flap

The first mother-daughter book for mothers, featuring a new Afterword and a Reading Group Discussion Guide

¸         Do you long for a better relationship with your daughter?
¸         Do you occasionally feel as though you have failed as a mother?
¸         Do you blame yourself because your relationship with your daughter is strained, faltering,
        or nonexistent?
¸         Do you feel that the relationship is unchangeable and that there is no chance that it could
        become a nurturing and deeply satisfying friendship?

Dr. Charney Herst knows that there is always more than one side to a story, and in her book, For Mothers of Difficult Daughters, she uses her twenty-five years of experience as counselor and group therapist to provide mothers with solutions that work. In the book she first helps you understand your particular relationship with your grown daughter--untangling the complex web of personal history and intense emotion inherent in any mother-daughter relationship. Then she describes practical, successful, mother-tested steps you can take to repair this all-important bond.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Villard (February 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375753184
• ISBN-13: 978-0375753183
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Mothers of Difficult Daughters...A great read!!!, March 13, 2006

By 

Angela Thacker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For Mothers of Difficult Daughters; How to Enrich and Repair the Relationship in Adulthood (Paperback)

This book was very helpful in many ways. I thought it was very up to date with today's parent and adult child thought patterns and reads very nicely. It offered various alternatives to reconnect with your adult daughter whether she lives with you or has been out of your life for years. It offered various strategies for many types of situations that sounded reasonable and workable for both parties. It also helped solidify several areas I was already working on; some of those areas were to stop asking questions, stop offering unsolicited advice, and get involved in your own life. Overall, I found it very helpful and highly recommend it.

49 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this book repaired our relationship, March 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: For Mothers of Difficult Daughters; How to Enrich and Repair the Relationship in Adulthood (Paperback)

How could I explain one child that was easy to get along with and another child that was not? They were raised the same way. I made parenting mistakes, but there weren't severe. Our home was loving, our marriage healthy, the children loved. Why was it so hard? This book offers solace to mother's who feel lost and terribly saddened by their difficult relationship with their daughter. It also offers excellent tips for improving your relationship with your daughter, without blaming either party. In my case, it was as simple as learning to hold back on offering advice and learning how to make sympathetic noises instead. Within just a few months, her screaming outbursts had stopped and I was no longer being wounded. One and a half years later, my daughter calls me her best friend. I learned how we all have a "perfect" daughter imagined in our mind and we must let go of those images and learn to love who our daughter is. It sounds simple, but it is not. People are born with different personalities and some people are naturally prickly and irritable. I appreciate the author who helped me see this and helped me see that I did not fail the daughter I love so much.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific! It helped me!, March 30, 1999

By 

Bernadette A. Moyer (Lutherville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For Mothers of Difficult Daughters; How to Enrich and Repair the Relationship in Adulthood (Paperback)

As a mother of a very difficult eighteen year old daughter, I found this book to be direct, honest and very helpful. I felt very alone and upon ready I realized that I was not alone at all. The upset and pain was easier to handle just knowing that other Mother's had been through similar situations. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a daughter.