TEARS OF MY MOTHER

From a breakout star of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Potomac, Dr. Wendy Osefo shares the story of her complicated relationship with her mother, and how her Nigerian upbringing has affected her life, her definition of success, and her role as a mother.

When Wendy Osefo was growing up, her mother was everything she wanted to be in life. A towering 5'9 figure, Iyom Susan Okuzu's high expectations of herself and her children were how Wendy was taught to understand success. As an adult, this imposing rigidity represents everything Wendy would choose to change about herself.

In TEARS OF MY MOTHER, Wendy explores the paradox of her mother. Her mother experienced unbelievable loss, yet maintained her grace at all times. She had been heartbroken time and again, yet loved without reservation. Her love was coupled with discipline, and her kindness paired with a childlike sense of selfishness. An aloof disciplinarian, she was unknowable to Wendy.

In Nigerian culture, a parent is only as successful as their children. To that end, Wendy's mother was adamant about the way she and her siblings lived their lives. Tracing the way she was shaped by her culture as a "First Gen" American growing up, Wendy parses her own definition of success, realizing that, like so many women before her, getting what you wish for can be a double-edged sword.

Wendy Osefo is a Nigerian-American political commentator, public affairs academic, philanthropist, and television personality. She is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Education. She is also a cast member on The Real Housewives of Potomac.