Do you have a mother who's always asking you those nagging questions, the kind
that make you question your parenting skills? Is she constantly giving you
unsolicited advice? Or is your mother so supportive, that she makes your busy
life as a working mom so much easier? Either way, I'd like to speak with you
and interview you for a book I'm writing on how to resolve the tensions
experienced between today's working mothers and their own mothers.

My name is Julie Halpert. I'm a freelancer for such publications as
Newsweek, National Public Radio and The New York Times. My book, written with
Deborah Carr, a sociologist from Rutgers University, will be published by
Thomas Dunne, a division of St. Martins' press. It will focus
on how mothers of a generation ago often have difficulty understanding
their daughters' personal and professional choices, and how we can help to
bridge that gap so the two generations can support and help one another. We'll
have qualified therapists review the disputes and offer their own input on how
to resolve problems, so you could be getting some free advice!

I have two requests in this posting. First, I want to start each chapter with a
question, the type of nagging question you'd expect from your mother. So I'm
interested in getting all kinds of ideas about common questions that mothers
ask their daughters, questions that clearly have an edge to them, and imply
that you simply aren't doing things the way you should. Some examples might be:
"you're feeding your kids WHAT kind of food?" "You're having take-out again?"
Or "why are your kids in so many activities? Why can't they just play and roam
then neighborhood?" The questions can pertain to any domestic issues, like your
standards of cleaning, the number of children you have, how you spend money,
discipline, your work choices and your relationship with your spouse. So if you
have any typical questions you get from your mother, just e-mail them along to
me.

Second, I'm looking for subjects to interview for the book. Our book focuses on
working mothers whose own mothers may have some difficulty understanding their
daughters' lifestyle and choices, including the one to work. We believe this
lack of understanding may come from the totally different, traditional life
that mothers of a generation ago led. Even if your own mother worked, you may
find that she comes from a different planet, of sorts. Ideally, I'd like to
speak with working mothers about the relationship they have with their own
mothers, and I'd like to interview their mothers as well. I'm specifically
interested in talking with both generations about issues
where there might be disagreement, like discipline, work choices, child care
and standards for keeping a clean home. And I'm also looking for mothers and
daughters who have great, inspirational relationships and support one another.

So if you fit in either of those categories and would like to speak with me,
please e-mail me, Julie Halpert at: jhalps@comcast.net Please include your
cell, work and home phone numbers, and the most convenient time to reach you.
Also, please let me know your name, age, occupation, number of children and
where you live, and a bit about your relationship with your mom.

We promise to keep your information absolutely confidential. We will use
pseudonyms in our book to protect your privacy. Thank you for your input!