Summary of “What Is the Role of the Mother in a Typical American Family?”

By Julie Boehlke

http://www.livestrong.com/article/70779-role-mother-typical-american-family/

According to Julie Boehlke's article “What Is the Role of the Mother in a Typical American Family?" (Jan 5, 2010), the typical American family is a big word and it includes all kinds of families in America. In all kinds of the American families, the mother in the typical American household plays an important role and in many aspects, Such as, nurturing, guidance and family growth.
There are two major types of mother in the typical American family and all the mothers are trying to keep the family unity and structure. The first type of the mother is stay-at-home moms, who do all the house work and take care of the children. The second type of the mother is working moms, who contribute financially to the household to pay for bills and take care of the children when their children need physical needs.
There also have another way to separate the mother in the typical American family. First one is the single mother who take care of one or multi children at a time and sometimes they have to play both dad and mom’s roles in the family. Second one is the stepmother; their job is to set the rules, enforcing behavior and take care of the children. Third one is guardian who takes care of children and provides nurturing, guidance and financial support to their children.
There are two benefits for the family to have a mother. One is to have someone care for children on both physical and mental. Another benefit is having the female mother figure showcased in the life of the child.
It is also important to know not all mothers in the typical American family are biologically the child's mother. The important things to teach and share with their child are their hobbies, educational skills and nurturing skills. As a caregiver, confidant and disciplinarian mothers are most commonly embraced in the American culture.

Response
After I read this article, I got more information about the mom’s role in the typical American family and the general American family. There are many types of American families, such as single parents, adoptive parents, stepparents… I found out it is hard for a single mother to raise her child because she has to pay the bills, do all the house work, takes care of the child, go to work, and sometimes she has to play both mom and dad’s role. Thus, I will give more respect for all the moms.