Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches [Paperback]

Rachel Jankovic (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2010

I didn't write this book because mothering little ones is easy for me. I wrote it because it isn't. I know that this is a hard job, because I am right here in the middle of it. I know you need encouragement because I do too.

This is not a tender reminiscence from someone who had children so long ago that she only remembers the sweet parts. At the time of writing this, I have three children in diapers, and I can recognize the sound of hundreds of toothpicks being dumped out in the hall.

This is a small collection of thoughts on mothering young children for when you are motivated, for when you are discouraged, for the times when discipline seems fruitless, and for when you are just plain old tired.

The opportunities for growth abound here but you have to be willing. You have to open your heart to the tumble. As you deal with your children, deal with yourself always and first. This is what it looks like, and feels like, to walk as a mother with God.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Loving the Little Years is a delightful book. That may seem a strange comment on a book that deals with life with such candor. It's all here: the fights in the back of the car, the dirty diapers, sinks full of dishes, runny noses, exhaustion--all the stuff of having five young children. It is a fresh and honest book, because it faces the problem of sin (both in kids and in parents). It is filled with profound insights into living wisely as a Christian parent. It has all the things I look for in a parenting book the focus is nurture, not just control; the motivation and empowerment is grace and not efforts. This book will help any mom (or dad for that matter) with loving the little years. --Tedd Tripp, pastor and author of Shepherding a Child's Heart

Insightful, encouraging, honest and practical and a great deal of fun to read. Rachel is a blessing to her husband and her little ones. Now she is also a blessing to me and mine. May this book bless you and yours as well. --R.C. Sproul, Jr.

Mothers of little people have one of the most challenging and important jobs on earth. But it is a humble job. Rachel Jankovic is a woman who lives out her story with humility, grace, and a houseful of humor. And with five exuberant children, ages five and under, you can be sure she knows what she is talking about. -- --Nancy Wilson, author of Praise Her in the Gates and The Fruit of Her Hands

About the Author

Rachel Jankovic is a wife, homemaker, and mother. She received her bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts & Culture from New Saint Andrews College, but mostly reads cookbooks now to avoid story grip (being highly susceptible). In 2003, she married her husband Luke, and they have five children who know how to party. Their little posse includes Evangeline (5), Daphne (4), Chloe (2), Titus (2), and Blaire (5 months). Rachel loves color, fabric, yarn to knit with, kids to laugh at, and laundry (not so much).

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Canon Press (November 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591280818
• ISBN-13: 978-1591280811
• Product Dimensions: 0.3 x 4.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Motherhood
  • #79 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 108 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I will be reading this book yearly! November 29, 2010

By Amanda Evans

Format:Paperback

As I write this I my three little monkeys are noisily attempting to go to sleep in the other room. The fourth little monkey may only be the size of a raspberry, but from a cozy position in my womb he or she is making his or her presence felt (headache, queasiness, fatigue...). I have 60 nails on 60 fingers and toes to keep trimmed, not counting my own! There are toys in the Tupperware cupboard and Tupperware in the toy box. And yes, I probably could recite Green Eggs and Ham. I know what motherhood in the trenches looks like.

Loving the Little Years is not a book to make you feel good about how long it's been since you cleaned your bathroom. This book won't tell you to hire a babysitter so you can have a day off with your girlfriends and keep in touch with the real you. This book doesn't say that the answer to all your stress is to spend two hours with the Lord at four in the morning. There are no suggested schedules, no spanking formulas, no pity parties. This book is real.

With wisdom and humor, and in 20 short, punchy chapters, Rachel Jankovic reminds us mothers that we are sinners too. Sometimes when the attitudes are bad and everyone is crying the first person who needs to repent is Mommy. As mothers we pour everything we've got into "training them up in the way they should go" but we have to remember that our own journey to sanctification isn't over. God is using these mischievous little imps to make us more like Him.

When all they seem to do is make messes and all that seems to come out of their mouths is mostly unintelligible gibberish, we can tend to see our children as little bothers. But throughout this book Rachel encourages us to remember that they are little people, eternal souls, personalities in the making. She urges us to study them, know them, learn their needs, hopes, strengths and weaknesses. And she reminds us to see the individuals in the half-sized mob. The Jankovic family is fabulous at coming up with creative imagery and catch-phrases for helping their kids see their sin and to remind them to do better. From selfish dragons to Cranksters to picky chickens, Rachel has shared many of these helpful ideas.

When I bought this book I immediately took it home, put the baby down for her nap, turned on Baby Signing Time for the toddlers and read it cover to cover. Literally, I laughed and cried. I will be reading it again soon, chapter by chapter, taking notes and absorbing ideas. In fact, I will probably read it every year.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST Book I've Read on This Season of Life June 19, 2011

By Gina Ashley

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have three sons, ranging in age from 1 to 7 years. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the BEST book I have ever read on this season of life - that is mothering young children. Rachel really 'gets it' and shares her insights in such sincere, simple ways. In one perfectly brief chapter she will have me laughing, shaking my head, and taking a deep breath to process a heavy truth. I love that she manages to encourage and challenge me without ever leaving me feeling burdened or condemned. Clearly, I cannot say enough good about this book! I'm buying more to share with friends!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Written for mothers...recommended for all humans November 28, 2010

By Valerie (Kyriosity)

Format:Paperback

Delightful! I don't have kids, but what makes this little parenting volume so marvelous is that its author doesn't just understand kids, she understand people. Her insights into her own heart as well as her children's helped me see my own more clearly. I'm sure moms of little ones will most edified by this book, but any mother, any parent, any woman, any person would benefit from it.