MOTHER'S DAY: WHY ARE MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIPS IMPORTANT?

My latest short story Sarah's Sin is due for release Thursday, May 9th.

Not everyone has an easy time selecting the perfect Mother's Day card. Some mothers are hard to honor, and even harder to love. But Sarah McWhorter is really trying. As time runs out to repair the rift between her and her mother, she struggles to break down the barriers separating them and understand the secret her mother buried years ago.

Just in time for Mother’s Day—a very unconventional Mother’s Day story

M is for the many things she gave me.

O means only that she’s growing old

T is for the tears she shed...

Okay, so not every mother inspires songs, poems, or roses named after her. Some mothers are hard to honor, and even harder to love.

All Sarah McWhorter ever wanted was her mother’s love and respect. She learned early in life her mother wasn’t the classic June-Cleaver type who baked cookies and bandaged scraped knees and kissed away bad dreams. She also suspected the fault lay with a sin Sarah didn’t understand—a sin that kept her mother from loving her.

The story of Sarah’s birth is a family scandal everyone knows but no one talks about. Now Mom is dying, and Sarah hopes to repair their relationship before it’s too late. Regardless of the cost, Sarah must know if it’s too late to earn her mother’s love. Unfortunately the truth might be too painful to bear. Or worse, Mom truly despises her for the sin she represents, and Mother and Daughter, so much alike, are too broken to be fixed.

Check out insightful short interview with Teresa Slack. 

1. Why are mother-daughter relationships so important? We learn so much from our mothers, even when we aren’t trying. Mom is the first person (usually) who has influence over us. She shapes so many things about us. If the relationship with our mother isn’t warm and nurturing from the beginning, children are confused and frustrated. I’m not suggesting Mom needs to be perfect. None of us are. But kids learn so much from Mom, especially daughters. It’s how we learn about beauty, kindness, gentleness, friendship. The list goes on. In mybook, Sarah’s Sin, Sarah did not get this from Rose. All she learned was judgment and condemnation.

2. How can a daughter understand Mom better? I didn’t really understand much about my mother until I became a mom myself. Then everything clicked. Until then I thought she just wanted to put limits on me. When I became a mom, I realized the fear, worry, and feelings of inadequacy that comes with being in charge of this tiny little life entrusted to me. As in any relationship, each needs to put themselves in the other’s shoes. Chiefly, daughters need to give their moms a break. Stop expecting perfection. Stop examining every motive behind every action. Realize Mom is a person too, with faults, fears, and emotions that aren’t always logical or reasonable. 

3. What can a mother do to draw her daughter closer? Treat her like a person, instead of a mini-version of themselves. Don’t expect perfection. Stop examining every motive behind every action. Wait a minute—this sounds familiar. Oh, yeah, it was my advice to daughters concerning their mothers. I guess the road goes both ways.  

Thank you so much, Ada, for inviting me to your blog this week. I have enjoyed getting to know your readers and you. I wrote Sarah’s Sin for the daughters who did not have the June Cleaver-type upbringing. For many of us, Mother’s Day brings a sense of dread and obligation rather than joy and love. We know we are supposed to love our mothers, but we aren’t sure how. My title character, Sarah McWhorter, is an amazing woman considering how her mother treated her while growing up. But still Sarah struggled with honoring her mom the way God intended. I pray readers might learn from Sarah, even if their mother/daughter relationship is close and loving.

Check out Teresa's short stories and other titles on her Amazon author page (author page link: http://www.amazon.com/Teresa-D.-Slack/e/B001JP0MQ2/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0) and wherever books are sold. Learn more about Teresa and her writing on her FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Teresa-Slack/121975854648100?fref=ts and at http://www.teresaslack.com Everyone who leaves a comment here will be entered for a chance to win one of 5 e-copies of Sarah's Sin. Happy reading.