While the father in Italian Families is most often its
head, the mother is unquestionably its heart and soul.
Italians venerate "Mama," who is the source
of a family's nurturing, its emotional center, its spiritual
and moral guide. The role if the Italian mother is usually
traditional, though, like all women, she has been affected
bu the winds of change that have shattered gender stereotypes
and altered the roles of women in our time. In second-and
third-generation Italian-American families, it is not
uncommon for women to work outside the home. Nevertheless,
in many Italian homes, the mother remains in charge of
the domestic sphere, while the father is the primary breadwinner.
To some this may seem old-fashioned and even reactionary,
but for many Italians there is no more noble work than
raising a family, and Mama's absolute devotion to one
of life's most central tasks is a source of great pride.
An Italian mother is often a cook
and a counselor, interior decorator, fashion consultant,
seamstress, nurse, accountant, and just plain friend
in need. She dispenses food and advice accompanied by
great portions of love. Like the conductor of an orchestra,
she manages the music of family life through good times
and bad and tries to maintain its emotional balance.
Italians, it is well known, are emotionally intense,
and family life can often be, to an outsider , a cacophony
of noise and commotion. Mama keeps the family functioning
thorugh all of its sound and fury.
It is said that the Italian
devotion to the Virgin Mary emanates from the adoration
of the mother. Italian men, the story goes, find it
embarrassing to worship a make God but have no trouble
devoting themselves to the mother of god, since they
are so deeply attached to their own mothers. While Italy
is not exactly a matriarchy, "Mama" is a powerful
and central figure in Italian life, and she usually
makes terrific marinara sauce as well.
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