Most recent investigations of families of individuals with schizophrenia have been concerned with the negative impact of the family on the outcome for the ill relative. Although several investigators have documented the consequences of living with a mentally ill relative to family members, there is still a lack of research exploring the broader experience of family members including how they perceive and define the illness experience, and how they actively manage the situation. While mothers have been frequently identified as primary caregivers of mentally ill children, few investigators have explored the mother's perspective. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to gain an understanding of the experience of mothers living with schizophrenic adult children. Ethnographic interviews conducted with five mothers were transcribed and subjected to qualitative analysis. The overall theme that emerged was a lifetime of mothering consisting of two major components, disruption and loss. Disruption was experienced in the mother's relations with the ill child, and in her own life. A lifetime of mothering involved two dimensions of loss: loss of the child's potential to lead a 'normal' life, and loss of freedom in the mother's own life. Central to mothers' descriptions was how they actively managed disruption and loss on a day-to-day basis.