Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Box of Daughter
    The Box of Daughter
    The Box of Daughter
    Ebook266 pages5 hours

    The Box of Daughter

    By Katherine Mayfield

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    "Well-written, intriguing, and so very enlightening. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and if I could give it more than “5 stars” I certainly would!!”
    —LibraryThing

    “Mayfield’s memoir is a testament to the merit of psychological healing through the understanding and expression of feelings. Full of stark realities of abuse but also the hopefulness of healing, Mayfield’s memoir provides helpful insight to those facing similar struggles.”
    —Kirkus Reviews

    “Fresh, bold, and inspiring.”
    —Examiner.com

    “Katherine Mayfield holds nothing back, and her unflinching, thorough, and articulate honesty is a true gift for anyone wanting to understand, face, and rise above the emotional scars of a damaging childhood."
    —Amy Wood, Psy.D., author of Life Your Way

    Description:
    In her twenties and thirties, the author pursued a professional acting career in an attempt to gain the respect and attention she lacked in childhood, appearing Off-Broadway, in independent films, and on the daytime drama Guiding Light. Entering therapy in her thirties in response to a divorce, she began to unravel the threads of dysfunction in her family of origin.

    More than a decade later, armed with the truth about her family, she sought to understand the challenges her parents faced and recover from the trauma while simultaneously acting as the family caregiver for the parents who abused her. Freed from the abuse by the deaths of her parents in 2005 and 2008, the author set foot on an inspiring journey to wholeness – developing self-esteem, uncovering her true self, and finally creating a life that is truly her own.

    “A brave, unflinching and exquisitely rendered memoir of a family caught in the tragic and relentless cycles of emotional incest that rob so many of their innocence. Katherine’s life-long struggle to come to grips with her mother’s mental illness and her own lost childhood is at once emotionally devastating and ultimately uplifting. Couldn’t put it down.”
    —Darcy Scott, author of Hunter Huntress

    “Katherine Mayfield’s book is an insightful, honest, and riveting account of her childhood emotional abuse and her journey to wholeness as an adult. It demonstrates how harsh words and lack of compassion can traumatize a child just as deeply as physical or sexual abuse. Highly recommended.”
    —Aletha Solter, Ph.D., founder of the Aware Parenting Institute and author of Tears and Tantrums

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKatherine Mayfield
    Release dateDec 28, 2011
    ISBN9781466028821
    The Box of Daughter
    Author

    Katherine Mayfield

    A former actress who appeared Off-Broadway and on the daytime drama Guiding Light, Katherine Mayfield is the author of "The Box of Daughter: Overcoming a Legacy of Emotional Abuse," a guide to recovery from bullying, "Bullied," several books on recovery from dysfunctional families, a book of essays, "The Meandering Muse," and two books on the acting business: "Smart Actors, Foolish Choices" and "Acting A to Z", both published by Back Stage Books. Her short story, The Last Visit, which is based on the last time she visited her father in hospice care, won the Honorable Mention award in the 2011 Warren Adler Short Story Contest. "The Box of Daughter" is based on the title poem in her book of poems, "The Box of Daughter and Other Poems." Publication credits include Dance Teacher Now magazine, Dance Spirit magazine, The Significato Journal online, Sasee magazine, The Women’s Times, the Greenfield Recorder, Fiftyshift.com, and WomensMemoirs.com. Ms. Mayfield pursued a professional acting career in her twenties and thirties, performing Off-Broadway, in Hal Hartley’s first film, The Unbelievable Truth, and on the daytime drama Guiding Light. She teaches writing in Maine.

    Read more from Katherine Mayfield

    Related to The Box of Daughter

    Related ebooks

    Biography & Memoir For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Texas Is Still Texas—For Now

      Nov 5, 2020

      Texas Is Still Texas—For Now
      4 min read

    • Article

      Vinod Busjeet

      Oct 13, 2021

      Vinod Busjeet
      2 min read

    • Article

      Toxic Shock

      Jan 28, 2021

      Toxic Shock
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Death

      Jun 14, 2017

      MORE and more of us are writing our own obituaries. Some of us meticulous planners write a few paragraphs that we hope will be printed in our local newspaper or on our funeral programs after we die. However, most of us are creating detailed digital n

      12 min read

    • Article

      Megan Culhane Galbraith

      Oct 13, 2021

      Megan Culhane Galbraith
      3 min read

    • Article

      Hateful Things

      Oct 1, 2020

      Hateful Things
      7 min read

    • Article

      Glennon Doyle On New Beginnings

      Jan 5, 2022

      The moment I met my wife, Abby, my entire being said: There She Is. It was like the voice that was becoming clearer and louder ever since I got sober 15 years earlier had finally shouted. When I met Abby, it was just weeks before Love Warrior – my me

      4 min read

    • Article

      IS EMPATHY Making You Sick?

      Aug 12, 2019

      Empathy allows us to share other people’s emotions and see from their perspectives. It’s how we bond and come together, and helps us feel understood and heard by others. Empathy can be overwhelmingly positive, moving you to tears of joy as you watch

      2 min read

    • Article

      The MOTHER ODE

      Apr 18, 2022

      The MOTHER ODE
      5 min read

    • Article

      THE greatest LOVE

      Oct 21, 2021

      THE greatest LOVE
      10 min read

    • Article

      Mothering–The Long Haul by Mandy Nolan

      Mar 4, 2021

      I remember packing my five kids in my Mum van and wondering if I would ever get my life back. The endless shopping, wiping, driving, dropping off, picking up, encouraging, hassling and general micromanaging sometimes made me feel like my head was goi

      3 min read

    • Article

      What I Deserve

      Apr 13, 2022

      IN THE past two years I have opened a bookstore while keeping my day job; finished a novel draft and written another novel draft; grieved the death of a friend, and another friend; started and stopped multiple vitamin regimens; watched my mother slip

      8 min read

    • Article

      A Note From Mom

      Jun 25, 2022

      A Note From Mom
      3 min read

    • Article

      I Used to Give Men Mercy

      Feb 12, 2018

      I Used to Give Men Mercy
      12 min read

    • Article

      TOWN & COUNTRY

      Jun 1, 2022

      TOWN & COUNTRY
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Box of Daughter

    4.5/5

    6 ratings3 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      TITLE: "The Box of Daughter"AUTHOR: Katherine MayfieldPUBLISHER: The Essential Word PressRATING: 5AGES: 17 +REVIEW: Every now and then we come across a book that hits so close to home it's astounding. This was the one for me. As I read Katherine's recounting of being a little girl and being expected to be exactly the way her mother wanted her to be no matter what I began to recall my own childhood and it amazed me how much like Katherine's it truly was. I grew up with a mother that was zealously religious, everything I did was wrong, and I could never please her. My mother also had serious mental issues that were never diagnosed or treated. There were even some of the things in this book that Katherine's mother did to her and said to her that were synonymous with my own memories and I felt horrified that someone could have lived the same life I did. Before long though I began to feel a kinship with the author and in the realization that I had not been the only one to go through this made me love the book and the story all the more. I somehow felt as though I had been able to get my own story out without ever having lifted a pen or pressing a key. Thank you Katherine for this story and for what it means to those that may have lived much the same life we did... in 'the box of daughter.'This is most certainly a healing and spiritually enlightening book, one everyone should read.
    • 5/5
      This book stirred up a lot of "aha" moments-oh look, that's my mom...oh look, that's my whole family!!! Well-written, intriguing, and so very enlightening. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and if I could give it more than "5 stars" I certainly would!!
    • 4/5
      This book is a truly open and honest account of the authors life, growing up whilst being captured in the middle of emotional abuse. I started to read the book not knowing what to expect, by the third page I had a lump in my throat and the dread in my stomach of how a little girl tries so desperately to please her mum and how a mothers simplest actions can have so much affect on a child. As a parent myself, I immediately started to think of certain things I have done in the past, meaning no harm, but questioning what affect this may have had on my child.The author lived in a dominant and controlling environment when all she needed and craved for was the physical and emotional love of her parents, tenderness, a kiss, a smile, a cuddle, praise. Living the life of two families was how things were expected, one show for the public, family and friends against the real family situation, inside their home, of emotional neglect, sadness, loneliness and for a little girl the lack of tolerance. This lack made her life virtually unbearable, being almost too scared to breathe, as she learnt from a very young age that the only way to please was to be the good little girl, how the box of daughter should be. Stopping herself from enjoying any part of life, so she didn't get hurt when it was taken away from her was another part of growing up.What you do realise as you read more into the book is that her parents lived a very lonely life together, handed down from generations of how parents behaved. You could almost feel their depression as they lived their daily lives. You also feel the anger and jealousy as her mother continually took the limelight at any given opportunity over her daughters achievements.For me the breaking point is when the family had the chance to move to California for 3 years. The author finally finds some freedom and the feeling of acceptance from the school, youth club and theatre club. Things were starting to improve when they were suddenly taken away as the family had to move back to their original area due to her fathers job. This to me leads to more unbalanced feelings and increased frustrations of the whole family.Then living through the caring of her elderly parents as she holds onto all the past pain and resentment of all the things she never experienced as a child. When the day came when she was finally free to live her life as she wanted to, the sheer shock and confusion in her mind on how to life without the shadowing criticism over her, starts to hit her. As the lines read ' I was left with threads of many colours that I didn't have any idea how to sift and sort them into any kind of order, or whether I even needed any of them at all to weave a new tapestry for my life.' Recommended reading.

    Book preview

    The Box of Daughter - Katherine Mayfield

    Lcbook_preview_excerpt.html\ےƑx彊fPAR46))Dy~nT7JQݗ9U( 7pX Uy=y2ϛ_xi/ŏ^ ?Wé-fSSOqm=8t?Wzxkn| szV/KO5xYuT?͍B﫷z ' :0ձxJ&}/Ov}|V/6xpsU,j7؄X0WCO0UaOOõ\ }{WōV0W_M8ȳsx}.݉}*݉e:6#jl8Wݻc#91ȖGWC\_Wuyrw8F @NV&?/S3ߋA\`5{O>8>}%E\=lw >11>i#W/۶Ӄ?~;TS::Z+M_q刟FϢ_qih?*>k bg(A"QeӔ~dshaUi/|ջfA]$^6=˲O9,V9$9r]K[_fW}fRbJ>pж~ѩqir( rrK::`Oִ-}= 3v땄\ES`ѡ퓿BK6}S.1/ӭoL <] kB1w8d=c%#?mbs@oQHqWz]u^g,( Hfk?ڜҀϸ#en闥*~!}0kH,֔S`NٯPn t+QVꔍU)V>j$*aNKzڪZ a NaS0]Ci~wqzw돆p ӕ!>[wu 52(B6螀mhpndn$B,/%irR "ҏ.墌ҮEQt; 1gAÐ]OĴz/bB <& WZLu/6 Oo7vpG !2{o{Gp%ԍ?ik ljQ]DGA7awcVfv{a}?I<۽*׃D7a7#?{VYh.x!_Ku0qL r#3J)hNu]hڷYz줦?cw|L{žj%~Zb 80h|jQ{wu/Rf~z__QCy? W%׏3Qwklȅ?DVhyWchɍϪ Z =Gdgߙ} 6 R KT\Y{D͊zxyMj *}%uBDu$0OHI"NvģPtcDG֨Y$(*,CwbV'sRA9i Փg d E4I4od5/8XDtqgƂN$4Iw$VFXG\tCzOC>#!c;9Z>1>x'y2{'XxڪedCN̚OK1Avva\%h@uHԖsJ6νɅI%zmcN-Zե &)}[@,@}l2Lv`M%zɾ?,❞@+ӟ)>iL٢T5 Dط̇ȇY{-LS'*#ۣjGh hݨ6S*32;ql2Rk \ybڽ8բ07)Ĵ.|T<QF0~t`R=H5H L1cEl4!O!0B기Cwvvq`PC S, Z[FՁO]ȧ3= A8_B7_8d`y`n{+ UM=[ Zl"㌌`¥k#u#uSKVy1V*ϟDDi(B$Dl`Oy6gA@v`;JՒ >4 @A _@;eԅu[)AToQuRv!1v15Qkiq.::O i%읇r  %W66jv~k+FYh$ӆry[K`/r5iH%)ǃZA{r2(fzjZUlK4&@ ӊ% W ҵJ8+/M"jqgIco1S7;&IL)`\txPe oK# Y uAΊgvOma\gDXB*]*g׊ ~ W"Ky`VG7mVt|!a~ЭζtnDvT^sزظAbL˱{e J0G?Ic `B]7AQЄMLtԴ!H8tm]ãڲY#ӊT05ɎHj=A-Ie`;cD^|/ ?D4{Z:B ^+(=8닺t`$pq虩:zGԔT0uuV+ˋ~:M}6f8[̓l"tfh@*MD1*8QMp!K@I4 H{4 8\'KNJ(5l=@."CZ)Y}X `rE iG\ơ_[ԺV8SD\ q%]cF-(Y F7pgZ&=hŴ-BNbBK|*:chA.ogb}@FYȮƫS8gz 4FIπClaj%2KZ \sW f8ʮ'h!)Dg&vxQDE59 NjZm 3= H.Y<!P: |WGh]&8\&'á'){/i#(lg{UּR,!j _fSrlB1o(Q\,ig$j!{}%j-VzB\Pe V.H$B)6)jxii)ZZba+x=6țmPѱ ZXiSTZlhבּ'^k76St vkY v_}qZSΤ׍Y͸w*eT^;Xos< MCok|&qbc ˋ`<k745[1*'Ufqv4 oJ~Vrb_Z-(hMvW%Pn `gk%) 5"]tKna+J0L7 Zf[>Y%z]Ł]WL+b[{bK*(r[Ae>n֎_Fa6 #`>~;5_ !sTS諾5Y jY&SKs-xMP&}U"ng 9Ib/3nn96ô"[_F%=[Zs4\J46Pc NhJh$kE90+faL/\*5IKA-*KԬ//5Olnꢾ](%y?4%0[SU<SƴٻRy6&YD|,{+*OʚL G! &b:9EdPA ;ؚ5殨4SEvsHj6'FX_Zz( e+L_43^dNOwC;h,u++zC8ۿޢ%G(ScV;,d!p%bTt2FuG@3Z{"ؑr*,o48-44g=\"cRt319Hb(y 'T8V5~ݰc9M%Xh. V&e+\Rvxi94\^-cZ~p-ȗ6yXV"``adWcVL$ܗ#Q+Wjq[TTiCGuuJ8RS]&/(8~@; h5"G7.p3[(K15RpŤ#˻5>8Źs_-w!QXHci.5%KX&cp}X?:̎fDJbFGǏ m? STH5ikMj۔x c8Q.":y2'0 N՘Q ^^rTݐf+%sæjg,K,QjWWX˚XJD,K.-?OK' R0`"2CT]l#fq<0#Zc,I1DXJ]QIsY5ޮqGKYƲ[iy@԰XMcwLX+ZcE4:?ױ㓭w7<vSn\Y g1q"rk7k-o61_dxjݔFa;w=xAȉ:/QʣeF^ DO X r_#[yB\ҭ],b~pVհJvъ89`H/W5|]WVP#[wLY]ޥQfsqmhܙIQ-WP^aTl!Тo̥;?6`鄱2|':fvIxiɎVؖ~rӾ7<L|erk{NaЃ̳ɪADYUZ"%qzgmCF3 tl4|Q*DH9,t6w#MM"~JB~OS6$Bpǜi?`2P]jĉ'_oj?N^R
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1