Conceptions of Self in Mother-Child Birth Stories

AbstractFamily stories of children's early experiences may be important contributors to children's growing sense of self. In this study, 35 New Zealand Pakeha (European-descent) mothers told their preschoolers the story of the child's birth. Conversations were coded for mothers' emphasis on interpersonal aspects of the birth or for an exclusive focus on the child. Overall, mothers with daughters and younger preschoolers adopted a more interpersonal focus than did mothers with sons and older preschoolers. Mothers' focus was not solely a function of the topics that children brought up during the conversations. Thus, mothers seem to view the birth narrative as a way of introducing their daughters and younger children into their space in the wider family community. (Development, Gender Socialization, Self-Concept)