Parenting Mutual Love And Sacrifice Analysis

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Families Strive for the Goal of Mutuality

A big question which comes to my mind after reading the chapter "Parenting, Mutual Love

and Sacrifice", is what does a happy family strive for in life. Throughout the chapter, Christine E.

Gudorf stresses the fact the families strive for the goal of mutuality. Mutuality is defined as a

feeling or action experienced by each of two or more parties toward the other or others. As a

mother of two children, Christine E. Gudorf believes that everything is directed to mutuality.

Society's aspect on parenting is usually focused on self loving but, it truly involves mutual love

from all family members. With mutuality, families will be connected as one, but without

mutuality, family members
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Some people believe

that it is inhumane to force feed a child because they are obstructing the child's rights. She needs

to force feed the two year because if she doesn't then the child would be malnourished. Christine

E. Gudorf describes her relationship with the child by saying,"My husband and I were never in

control of the relationship with either of these children and are not now"(Gudorf 177). Without

some control of her children, there is no mutuality. There is no mutuality of peace because

constantly, the children don't listen to Gudorf and her husband. When Gudorf force feeds the two

year old, Mike, he just simply vomits it up after. This disruption of mutuality breaks up the

family relationship. Not only has this disruption of mutuality broken up the family relationship

but, it has broken up their family image. Gudorf explained this by saying,"They dictated where

we went and didn't, what we ate, all home activities, whom we saw, even how much sleep we

got. Moreover, they made it clear that they knew they controlled our public image;everyone took

their side"(Gudorf 177). Without mutual control within the family, Gudorf and her husband