Moms

"You work at it for twenty-five years and no one gives you a watch." Moms is a lighthearted look at motherhood, featuring 50 moms from all ages, cultures and walks of life, who talk about their experiences as mothers from birth and labor, to raising teenagers, adopting kids, and mothering special needs children. There are working moms, non-custodial moms, single moms, at home moms, moms with one child, moms with 6 children, and moms with substance abuse problems. They discuss the empty nest syndrome, discipline, playing with children, living with toddlers, grandchildren, and surviving the death of a child. The informal interviews are unrehearsed and naturally genuine, funny and--at times--poignant and wrenching, without playing on the viewer's emotions. I enjoyed hearing the many varied viewpoints from the wide variety of mothers, and the different challenges they face(d) while caring for their children. A great resource for someone doing research on society's attitudes toward mothering in the U.S., as well as just plain entertaining (the closing credits are especially creative), Moms is highly recommended. Aud: P. (L. Stevens)