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Journeys of Women Without Custody
From Ambivalence to a Renewed Sense of Self
A Brief Biography of Annette Pagano
A wife, mother, friend, and educator, I was born January 15, 1952. Married (10 yrs), divorced, and currently together/married for over 20 years. I have three children from the first marriage, two boys and a girl (30, 28, and 26). I have a son (10) with my husband Gerry. I am also a grandmother (a boy, a grand daughter on the way). I am a family centered, family oriented woman and you don’t have to be related to be a member of the family. I work very hard but I play and have fun too. I actually love to workout at the Gym. I also run, ski, golf, and bike. Gardening in the summer grounds me. I love to cook and eat. My husband and I treat dining like a sport. I have come to realize that it is important to learn from the past, but not to drag the past around with you. I embrace and am grateful for what I have accomplished, and energized by celebrating the present and planning for the future.
I come from a large Italian family; my mom and dad were very traditional Italians and raised seven children. My house was very "alive" and loud, not much privacy, lots of love and nobody was afraid to be emotional whether that be loving or angry or whatever. Of course being a psychologist I feel that my family of origin has influenced me in many ways. Critics may say that being a non-custodial mother may bias my work. I think it infuses the book and makes the writing more evocative. My sense of place, like many women I believe is multifaceted. It is the place of mother, wife, women, distant parent, academic, social scientist and all the traditions that go along with those places.
I first started to write in college and grad school; I wrote poems, I wrote a poem about being pregnant, and about being the mother of little boys. I enjoyed doing it. I write for my own sense of pleasure and to communicate with loved ones and colleagues. I never considered myself a writer it is simply one of the many things I do.
As a professional I have owned and operated three day care centers, was a trainer for five years at Wang Labs, High School Guidance Counselor, Academic Advisor, and have taught Psychology at the college undergraduate level for about 14 years. I love to teach it is gratifying. I enjoy the “craziness” of academia.
I received a doctorate in psychology from the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California. Earned an M.A. in counseling and a B.S. in Psychology from Rivier College in Nashua, New Hampshire. Additionally completed an A.A.S. in Early Childhood Education at Nassau Community College, Garden City, New York. As a Senior Lecturer at Rivier College, I believe in a unique approach to teaching; facilitating learning by establishing a goal for each lesson and by learning from the stories of others, learning is not memorization and regurgitation it is a collaborative learning experience and has been widely received by colleagues and students alike. Previously at Rivier I held positions as Freshman Academic Advisor, Assistant Director of Admissions, and Special Needs Coordinator.
As a researcher, a developmental psychologist and a passionate teacher. I feel strongly about the importance of changing societal stereotypes about the roles that men and women play when it comes to being a caregiver. The kind of person to enjoy this book can be anyone from non-custodial mothers, academics, clinicians, therapists, counselors or lawyers. I myself like to read the authors of self-help, women’s studies, and academic non-fiction. The writing style is not heavy and thick with concepts and I try to stay away from "heady"" conceptualizations in "Journeys of Women Without Custody".
I am deeply moved to have had the opportunity to provide voices for women to tell about their non-custodial experience. I am merely the researcher who formulated the experience into a theoretical framework.
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