The Roundtable
4:52 am
Wed March 7, 2007

Joe Donahue's Interview with Deborah Tannen 3/5/07

Albany, NY – Why do daughters complain that their mothers always criticize, while mothers feel hurt that their daughters shut them out? Why do mothers and daughters critique each other on the Big Three-hair, clothes, and weight-while longing for approval and understanding? And why do they scrutinize each other for reflections of themselves?

Deborah Tannen - author of You Just Don't Understand which examined communication between women and men -now looks at the mother_daughter relationship in the book: You're Wearing That?: Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation.

Deborah Tannen seeks to explain why a remark that would be harmless coming from anyone else can cause an explosion when it comes from your mother or your daughter. Joe spoke with Tannen about why that relationship is so book-worthy...