Love in Two Languages : Lessons on Mothering in a Culture of Individuality

Rating:
Summary: A writer who really does listen
Review: How refreshing to read a book on mothering that is supportive! Dr. Ohye posits the theory that positive mothering grows from recognizing our children as individuals, and responding to them as such. She advocates learning to listen to our children, to their needs, struggles, desires, rather than listen to our own experiences or expectations of what children or mothering ought to be. To differentiate what are our issues as mothers versus what our children are trying to communicate to us: verbally and non-verbally. She encourages us to grow within our relationships with our children, but does not provide charts or guidelines for us to follow: we are encouraged instead to discover what works best for us and our children.

Dr. Ohye also discusses her struggles with mothering, which include struggles as a wife and as a professional. She includes some of her own past and upbringing within the Japanese American culture, and how that has influenced her role as mother. Her writing is clear, direct, warm and personal, and at times quite humorous, though her training as a child psychologist drives the professionalism with which she writes.

Love in Two Languages is a book which we all can enjoy, and from which we all can benefit. When will you write another, Dr. Ohye?