Instead of preaching what mothers ought to do psychotherapist Naomi Stadlen explains what mothers already do in the course of any exhausting days work. Drawing from countless conversations with hundreds of mothers spanning more than a decade What Mothers Do provides lucid insight into the true experience of motherhood and answers the perennial question common to mothers everywhere: What have I done all day? Stadlens wise reflections threaded throughout with the voices of real mothers explore unsentimental reactions to motherhood-resentment guilt splintered identity crippling inefficiency and deadening fatigue. Yet the overriding sentiment is one of empowerment and wonder as Stadlen illustrates how seemingly insignificant skills such as responding to a babys colicky cry being instantly interruptible or soothing an overstimulated child to sleep profoundly contribute to an individuals socialization self-worth and curiosity. Remarkably perceptive and heartening What Mothers Do will resonate with mothers everywhere in search of understanding and wisdom.