ABSTRACT
Reminiscing about the birth of her first daughter, a young woman I spoke with said, “I held her in my arms, looked into her face and I saw…well, I saw me. Another chance. I hoped that she might do all the things in the world I couldn’t…or didn’t.” (Amanda Rhines, personal communication, April, 2003). Another mother looked more apprehensive when sharing her recollection,” [When my daughter was born] I feared for her, for all the things that can happen to young girls!” (W.Spritzer, personal communication, April, 2003), Mothers, daughters, daughters who become mothers, and mothers who become grandmothers-women co-authoring lives across the life course. This is what I am learning about mothers and daughters across generations. The agency is in the authorship.
