Transnational mothering the 'good' left-behind child: education, futures, and identities among transnational families

de los Reyes, Jay (2023) Transnational mothering the 'good' left-behind child: education, futures, and identities among transnational families. Living apart together: Growing up in transnational families, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. 16 pp .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

This paper examines transnational mothering practices and the construction of the ‘good’ left-behind child among mother-away transnational Filipino families from the northern Philippines. It explores: 1) key features of the idealised left-behind child, emphasising their educational commitments and futures; and 2) transnational mothering practices employed by migrant women. In exploring both, the central role of education in transnational mothering, and in the imagination of possible futures of LBCs are emphasised. Using interview data from two ethnographically inspired projects involving migrant mothers and left-behind children (15 to 18 years old), this paper argues that because of changes in familial setup and challenges that transnationalisation brings, tensions and convergence exist between notions of a good child, educational choices, imagined futures, and mothering approaches. Eventually, social and educational identities of left-behind children through their mother’s perspective shift and are adjusted because of transnationalisation and various adversities they envisage. This is seen in how mothers gradually recognise their children’s own will and independence, (e.g., in making educational choices) thus expanding or going beyond traditional notions of Filipino mothering.

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