The Cultural Image of a Good Mother in Three Generations

Abstract

In this article the image of a good Finnish mother is described and the images by daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers are compared. Three members of the same family (129 families) each from a different generation were interviewed (387 persons).The good mother loves, listens to, and controls her child. She gives advice and spends time with her child. She is patient and supportive. The good mother is an example for her child and she treats all her children equally. When the images of the different groups were compared, it was noted that the informants could be divided into two on the basis of the images they had produced: Mothers, daughters and sons formed the Informed group, and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers formed the Traditional group.