Learning at an early age that dependent relationships can be impermanent,
security ephemeral, and family capable of being redefined, the
motherless daughter develops an adult insight while she is still a child,
with only juvenile resources to help her cope.
Early loss is a maturing experience, forcing a daughter to age faster
than her peers – both cognitively and behaviorally.
The death of a parent marks the end of a childhood.
~ Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman
What are the odds ? These two women are my grandmothers. Both lost their own mothers at a young age. My dad’s mother when she was only 3 mos old. My mom’s mother when she was 11.
They both lost their first born children to adoption. Both children were conceived with the assistance of much older men.
It may be because my grandmothers were more mature than the men their age and so they were instead attracted to men closer in age to their own fathers. It is unclear that they were unusually close to their fathers. Whether they were or not, is lost in the mists of time.
Missing Mom 