Age Brings Acceptance
by Sheri Wallace

Renee Corker, 31, adds, "When we visit, the kids are what we talk about a lot. My mom also wants to talk about what I did as a child and talk about the past. The sad part is, I want to talk about the future." Corker's mother, Mary Routhier, 63, lives in a different state and Corker says they see each other only rarely.

The ties that bind

Fingerman concludes that mothers' and daughters' conversations shift from focusing on the daughter to the extended family because the daughter has now become established as an independent adult, and no longer requires the mother's guidance toward this goal.

Other studies show that conversations focus on extended family because women are traditionally the ones responsible for keeping the extended family connected. As daughters mature and need less of the mother's nurturing, they are able to take on this role. Fingerman's research clarifies that both mothers and daughters enjoy this role in later life.