Single Mother's in "The Women of Brewster Place"

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/story?id=1045649&page=1

I was doing a bit of research on single mothers after reading "The Women of Brewster Place" and I found this article from ABC News.  It's a really interesting piece which is definitely relatable to Mattie's difficulties as a single mother.  Some of these women can definitely empathize with her over-protective and worrisome nature because if some aspect of a child seems "off" the mother is usually blamed regardless of whether or not he/she has a father.  One term I did find interesting was "Momism" which is said to have been coined in the 1950s and refers to a mother who is so overprotective that she fosters selfish and spoiled tendencies in her child.  This sort of terminology could be applied to Mattie's treatment of Basil, especially considering his resulting behavior and ultimate departure from his mother's life.  The relationship between a mother and son and the correct conduct, particularly for single mothers, is extremely controversial and has historically been (falsely) assumed to be responsible for homosexuality, autism and even schizophrenia.