" I wonder if there's a difference between being a dutiful mother and being a good mother.'

There is,' I said, and Charlotte looked up at me, expectant.

Even if I couldn't articulate the difference as an adult, as a child I had felt it. I thought for a moment. 'A dutiful mother is someone who follows every step her child makes,' I said.

And a good mother?'

I lifted my gaze to Charlotte's. 'Is someone whose child wants to follow her. "

― Jodi Picoult , Handle with Care