Distance Mothering

Contemporary families are diverse, though the diversity of configurations is not necessarily represented in society’s narrow definitions. This chapter focuses specifically on mothers who parent from a distance either because they have involuntarily lost custody or chose to relinquish custody to another caregiver. Noncustodial parents typically visit their children. This parenting arrangement creates a sociological opportunity to explore what it means to parent from a distance within the context of gendered notions and the family. Because noncustodial mothers violate expectations associated with dominant ideologies of motherhood (i.e., mother as primary caregiver), they provide a unique opportunity to explore the intersection between gender role expectations and parenting. This chapter discusses dominant definitions of motherhood, the experience of noncustodial mothers within the context of these dominant expectations—both in the United States and abroad—as well as the impact of long-distance mothering on the well-being of mothers and children.