The narrator irons clothes while reflecting on her responsibilities as a mother and her inability to properly care for and understand her daughter Emily due to financial struggles that required her to work long hours. She feels guilty for sending Emily to live with her father for a few years so Emily could have a better life, as it prevented the narrator from developing a close relationship with her daughter. The narrator laments not having the means to provide more stability and support for Emily during her childhood.

1. I STAND HERE IRONING
BY TILLIE OLSON

2. Responsible
 Emily’s mother a
responsible mother. She
takes care of Emily although
she was busy for her jobs.

3. Considerate
 She was also a considerate person.
She knew that she was not able to
support the life of Emily and hence
she sent her to Emily’s father for a
couple years to have better life.

4. Helpless
 She tells us from the beginning of the
story that she cannot provide the "key" to
her daughter Emily's character: "
 It seems strange for a mother to say that
her own daughter's life is "beyond" or
"outside" her. But we learn that for much
of Emily's life, her mother was so busy
struggling to make ends meet that she just
didn't have the time to pay attention to
her daughter.

5. Guilty conscience
 She feels sorry to Emily because she
did not bring up her by herself. She
cannot have a close relationship with
Emily and she does not understand
Emily although she is her biological
daughter.