Bahamian women often carry the bulk of responsibility for family well-being, particularly in the domain of parenting. This ethnographic study investigated the role of Bahamian mothers and their perceptions of parenting. Face-to-face qualitative interviews, comprised of a series of open-ended questions, were conducted with 18 mothers on the islands of Eleuthera, Harbour Island, and Spanish Wells, Bahamas. All interviews were audio taped and transcribed. Several issues emerged from the data regarding motherhood: the multiple role expectations placed on women, the involvement of the extended family and community in child rearing, and the pregnancy and birthing experience. Most mothers carried the bulk, if not all, of the responsibility for the well-being of their children, with familial obligations taking significant personal tolls; however, the community, often in the form of extended family, provided informal assistance. The small and relatively safe communities provided a reassuring context in which to raise children, and birthing experiences were also more of a family or community affair. Mothering experiences seemed to vary somewhat by island and the unique circumstances of the community. (Contains 27 references.) (Author/EV)