I Stand Here Ironing

“I Stand Here Ironing” is a poignant piece, written obviously by a real-life mother. The narrator in the story, a mother, begins to flash back to memories of her daughter’s life when she is asked to speak to some professional about her— perhaps a school counselor, teacher, we do not know. The mother goes over the whole of the girl’s nineteen years; we see how she begins to blame herself for her daughter’s illnesses, her learning difficulties, and her lack of happiness. The story seems to bring front and center the problems women had with no forced child support system, lack of suitable employment for women and most importantly, serious deficits in quality child care and early childhood programs. The mother was forced to work and although she frequently had no choice, she still regretted and blamed herself for the outcome. When she remarried and had more children, they seemed to thrive and be all that her first child, Emily, was not. In the end, Emily found her own ways to cope, through humor, and finally found her place. I found the beginning interesting, where the mother starting describing her as a “beautiful baby”, then as Emily became sad and ill, she was dark and “foreign looking”, and then at the end, when Emily finally grew into herself and became “Somebody”, she was “so lovely”. I think she must have looked how she felt.