This study identifies what influences and characterizes family relations in families of a child with asthma. Seventeen mothers of children aged between 6 and 16 years participated in audio-taped in-depth interviews. The researchers were inspired by grounded theory in data collection and data analysis. The core category that developed was being governed by disease-engendered uncertainty. The category mothers' availability was seen in two dimensions. The first dimension, mothers' being available for the child with asthma, created two subcategories: 1. control and 2. tight bonds. The second dimension, mothers' being less available for other family members, also created two subcategories: 3. being forsaken and 4. lack of understanding. Nursing implications are discussed in relation to the findings.