Conclusion

Conclusion

            Maternal loss cannot be prevented because death is inevitable and sometimes unpredictable. Its unescapable nature is part of the reason that its effects on the living daughter are so important. I am just one of many motherless daughters, women who have been changed by their own circumstances. Motherless daughters are everywhere, woven into our lives in places we may not recognize. A classmate, colleague, student, or friend could have faced maternal loss in their youth. The hope for motherless daughters lies in understanding; if we know how these women are struggling, we can help motherless daughters to know that they are not alone in their pain and experiences. We must recognize that grief does not end in childhood. The effects of early maternal loss will hurt the daughter on her graduation day, her wedding, at the birth of her first, second, or even third child. Any expectation of her to have merely “gotten over it” is nonsensical.

Further Implications

            The terms “motherless mothers” and “motherless daughters” give women like me the opportunity to discover others with similar experiences and connect to them. As more grieving women find this community, they will contribute their own personal narratives. With more experiences to learn from, more women will feel included in the community.

Admittedly, this research has been important to me because it reminds me that I am not alone. This research explains that there is psychological merit to the things I have experienced, such as anxiety and other unrealistic fears, struggles to develop an independent identity, and a fixated heroic view of my mother. It is my hope that those who love a motherless daughter will take this research seriously, so that they too can try to understand the unique difficulties and help her to grow and heal. That is what I would want someone to do for me.

Additional Resources