Discovering the Inner Mother by Bethany Webster

This book educated me about the concept of a mother wound and how it shows up in relationships. It helped me understand my friends who have mother wounds better, and how they have shown up in my life with their wounds. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions because it made me empathise with my bully and friend. It made me reevaluate what I knew about myself. It brought in a sense of dread and then comforted me in a way that hurt me.

I couldn't relate to it a 100%, because a lot of what she says she didn't get as a child, are things I received in different forms in my childhood. Even though my parents were extremely busy, they took the time out to express themselves to me. Nurturing talks, encouragement, kindness, love, confidence and the fact that I'm valid were always part of my everyday life.

The book made me aware of how abundant my childhood had been, and how wonderful my relationship with my mother is, despite patriarchy having a horrible effect on my mother herself. It was eye-opening. I can also see what a huge privilege it is to have been brought up like that.

This book is for every woman to recognise, realise and know how much effect patriarchy has in viewing themselves. I learnt a few things too. A lot of effort has gone into this book, and that's evident. It's so dense that in fact, it loses essence towards the end.

At some point the book got extremely repetitive, which hindered my ability to stay focused and be fascinated by the issues she brought up. I may not read the book again, but glad to have learnt and understood the concept of a mother wound.

3/5