One of the main reasons was the fact that they were able to raise and breastfeed children for their mistresses. The maternal instincts of these African American women served slaveholders well. And although this was a blessing for the slave owners' wives, it was a curse for the slave, as their first duty was to be a servant to their masters/mistresses and possibly a human being, mother and/or wife. The mistress's son had precedence over the slave's own son. We see this when Linda describes weaning her mother at the age of 3 months, so that her mistress's child could get sufficient food. Maternal instinct is something that many women cling to. In this case it is not only disrespected but also denied. Another similar example occurs when the author describes New Year's traditions and shows the very contrasting experiences between slaveholders' wives versus female slaves. The issue of motherhood is once again belittled. “But for the slave mother, New Year comes full of particular pain. She sits on the cold floor of her cabin, watching the children who might be torn away from her the next morning…” (Jacobs 2012.) This describes the sales that follow this holiday. In these auctions, a mother was forced to bring her children and give up any rights to them. They were sold to various slave traders and forced to leave their families without any promises