Across the Conference Table: Private and Public Mothering of Children With Learning Disabilities

In this article, a narrative inquiry approach is used to investigate how mothers report their experiences of parenting children with learning disability (LD) within the culture of American motherhood and to explore what impact such experiences of motherhood might have upon their relationships with school professionals. Analysis of the mothers’ narratives yields two overarching themes: The Private Mother (inner thoughts and feelings about her own mothering) and The Public Mother (outward responses to others’ comments and behaviors about her mothering). Two subcategories are discussed within each overarching theme: Internalizing and Resisting Social Messages and Inside the Family (The Private Mother), and Judgment in Public Spaces and Mother as Outcast (The Public Mother). The author addresses implications of these findings and offers recommendations for collaborating with mothers of children identified as LD