Judith R. Smith
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Judith R. Smith

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I am a PhD, licensed clinical social worker, professor at Fordham University, and researcher who specializes in understanding the experiences of mothers of adult children with serious mental illness or substance use disorder. My work has been published in professional journals, but this book is for mothers and fathers who are living with a very difficult situation. I learned so much from the 50 women who bravely broke out of the silence and shared with me their experiences of mothering in later life. Each woman was over sixty years old when her life was drastically altered by becoming the default safety net for her adult “kid”. I discovered that mothers experienced their adult children’s behavior as “difficult” when they found themselves, once again, having to prioritize their children’s needs over their own and saw no “exit” for themselves or their adult children from their problems. I now offer support groups for mothers with difficult adult children. The groups provide support for parents who feel alone and often live in secrecy, hiding the strain they face as they cope with their adult children's problems. The groups help them express and challenge the shame and self-blame they have felt for years. I have learnt that most parents suffer with the belief that they must have caused their adult children's problems, as if "good mothers" do not have adult children with serious problems. Living with this self-blame is extremely painful and isolating.
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    • Mothering Challenging Adult Children Through Conflict and Change
    • Written by: Judith R. Smith
    • Narrated by: Suzie Althens
    • Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
    • Release date: 2022-06-28
    • Language: English
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