For a mother the project of raising a boy is the most fulfilling project she can hope for. She can watch him, as a child, play the games she was not allowed to play; she can invest in him her ideas, aspirations, ambitions, and values -- or whatever she has left of them; she can watch her son, who came from her flesh and whose life was sustained by her work and devotion, embody her in the world. So while the project of raising a boy is fraught with ambivalence and leads inevitably to bitterness, it is the only project that allows a woman to be -- to be through her son, to live through her son.

Summary

This quote emphasizes the immense importance and fulfillment a mother finds in raising a son. It suggests that a mother can relive her own suppressed desires and dreams through her son, shaping him according to her own values and aspirations. By investing her time, effort, and love into raising a boy, a mother sees her very essence personified in his actions and existence in the world. Despite the challenges, contradictions, and inevitable heartaches that come with raising a boy, this quote suggests that it is the ultimate avenue through which a woman can truly "be" and "live," finding purpose and fulfillment in the life she creates and cultivates in her son.

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