QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  1. The sandwich generation is growing. More and more women are finding themselves in the difficult position of dividing their caregiving time between aging parents and young children. How would you stay positive and handle the stress of such demands?
  2. In the beginning of Mom in the Middle, Abby sees her circumstances as a penance that God has placed upon her because she doesn’t please Him. Why do you think she reacts to her situation in that way?
  3. When Guy comes into their lives, Abby sees him as a threat instead of a comfort. Why do women so often feel they have to do everything themselves? That they shouldn’t accept, let alone ask for assistance?
  4. There is a triangle of strong conflicting emotions between Abby and her parents, with behavior changing constantly as we watch them together: Abby and Shorty, Shorty and Sarah, Sarah and Abby. Why do you feel the dynamic between close family members seems to shift from one moment to the next?
  5. Guy has grown up in a home full of women who anticipate and meet every possible need. Do you think women do their sons and brothers a service or disservice with this kind of affection and attention? Why or why not?
  6. In response to the wonderful treatment he’s had from the women in his family, Guy gives back by helping any woman he finds in need. In doing so he often creates false expectations. Do you believe it’s possible for single men and women to be close without romantic expectations clouding the friendship?
  7. Abby struggles with letting go of the memory of the young man who was not only her husband but also her lifelong friend. Can you think of a time when you had to deal with this type of a loss, or help a close friend or relative through such a period of mourning? Do you think Abby’s feelings were typical?
  8. What do you think Guy saw in Abby that changed his perspective on a long-term relationship, marriage and a family of his own?
  9. Even in her strength and independence, Abby carried what a lot of men would see as “baggage” into a relationship. Do you think today’s woman views the responsibility of caring for her aging loved ones as a burden or, as in Abby’s case, an honor entrusted to her by God?
  10. Though neither is searching for a soul mate, that’s exactly what Guy and Abby recognize in one another. When Solomon wrote, “I found the one my heart loves,” do you think he believed there was one person created specially for him by God? Do you believe in soul mates? Why or why not?