The mother-daughter relationship doesn’t stop changing when a daughter grows up.

Family therapist and mother-daughter relationship specialist Hilary Truong joins Agnes for a thoughtful conversation about what happens as mothers and daughters move through adolescence, adulthood, marriage, motherhood, grandmotherhood and eventually aging and caregiving.

Hilary explains why one of the greatest gifts a mother can give her daughter is surprisingly simple: listen. When a daughter feels heard and understood, she is more likely to feel loved. HilaryTruong

They explore:

• why mother-daughter relationships need to be recalibrated at different stages of life
• when mothers need to stop offering advice and start listening
• why an adult daughter shouldn’t become her mother’s primary emotional support
• whether mothers and daughters really should be “best friends”
• how understanding our mother’s own history can create empathy
• what happens when reconciliation isn’t possible
• navigating dementia and the changing mother-daughter relationship
• becoming a grandmother without becoming another parent
• how to disagree, establish boundaries and return to difficult conversations

Hilary also introduces the idea of looking at the “mother line” — examining generations of mothers and daughters to understand the patterns, expectations and limitations that shaped the women who came before us. HilaryTruong

Because sometimes understanding our mothers helps us understand ourselves.

Originally published March 9, 2023. Revisited because good conversations don’t have an expiry date.

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Hilary Truong, a mother-daughter relationship expert and former therapist for teen girls, is a leading voice on keeping mothers and daughters in relationship through the teen years. She is on a mission to rewrite the narrative for mothers and daughters and shares her passion by speaking, coaching mothers, as well as mothers and daughters and hosting immersive retreats to celebrate the mother-daughter relationship.

• Visit Hilary Truong’s website

Hilary Truong on Social Media:

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