Another theme in this book is motherhood. Each of the angry housewives is a mother. Faith has twins. Faith worries she is not a good mother because she did not have a good role model as a child. Faith's own mother was an alcoholic who often neglected her daughter. However, the only thing Faith has ever wanted is to have children and give them the life she did not have. Faith does all she can to raise her children well and finds herself so devoted to her children that she is lost when they go off to college. Later, when Faith learns her son is gay, she feels as though she failed at her job. However, Beau is a strong, capable young man who proves sexual orientation has nothing to do with the ability to achieve a happy life.