ABSTRACT
The final chapter continues the narrative, but now gives empirical data that accompanies the solo case provided in the autobiographical material. I employ but revise Sara Ruddick’s three demands of the practice of mothering—preservative love, fostering growth and socializing for acceptance—to reflect and accommodate the reality of mothering children who do not meet the expectations set by the norm of typical development. I examine the lessons we can garner from my account for the theoretician who is willing to expand the conception of society to include more than those who are equally situated and equally empowered.
