Customer Reviews

Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As others have noted, this book is a series of reflections about motherhood and the importance of slowing down to savor daily life with loved ones.

This book energized me to make several changes in my own life. Part of my motivation for homeschooling this year was a desire to have a more conscious, contemplative, and purposeful life rather than a frantic-mad-dashing here and there life.

In fact, as the holidays approach, many of my friends are feeling "swamped", "overwhelmed", "stressed" - feelings I remember all too well from previous years. While I still have my moments, overall I am much less stressed than last year. The overall tenor of the holidays is much happier and calmer. I have done my best to pare the holidays down to the essentials, to keep things simple and personal, rather than grandly extravagant. Extravagance has its place, but when children are young, I think simplicity makes so much more sense.

I loved this book so much I chose it for my book club of busy suburban SAHMs. I was quite surprised to find only two (out of nine) loved it as I did! Three thought the book had "some good ideas", but they clearly didn't connect with the author.

The other four were quite negative about Mitten Strings. They felt it was too preachy and perfect and Pollyanna-ish, that "real" people couldn't live like the Kenisons without lots of money. But it's not a financial lifestyle she is talking about, it's an internal one, it is simply making a conscious effort to notice, appreciate, prioritize and streamline.

In trying to figure out the mixed response to this book in my book club, I came up with a couple of ideas. I think the crux of liking the book has to do with the following:

First, it depends on whether you are at a point in your life where you actually consider rushing madly to be a negative thing, rather than proof you are productive. Some people feel empowered and energized by rushing and being busy!

Second, it depends on how contemplative you are feeling when you read the book. The more contemplative you feel, the more likely you might enjoy the book.

Finally, it depends on whether you enjoy visual and poetic language. The author writes with a heartfelt, genuine sentimentality that, while I enjoyed it tremendously, can apparently be off-putting to people with more pragmatic sensibilities.

One reviewer said they would not give this book to a parent of an autistic child, or one with Down's Syndrome. I actually think this book has considerable merit for families with special needs children - the key is knowing WHEN to give the book. I have a child who was diagnosed with autism at 3, and when he was younger and we were rushing around madly from therapy to therapy, ransacking our home to make it an engaging learning environment, etc..., I would not have been in the frame of mind to appreciate it.

In fact, according to my three criteria above: the mad rushing was proof I was doing everything I could to help him; who has time to be contemplative when you are trying to save your child from autism; and poetic musings about the wonderful lives of families with typically developing children would have been quite upsetting.

NOW I see things differently. I think the ideas in the book have even MORE relevance for children with special needs, who often thrive in calm, centered environments. I think children with special needs deserve to have their progress, however slow or small, deeply savored and appreciated.

Well anyway. This is not a book that EVERYONE is necessarily going to love, in spite of the steady parade of 5 star reviews. Nevertheless, I join the parade and give this book 5 stars based on my own incredibly positive experience reading it.

In this hectic, fast paced world that our children are growing up in....this wonderful book made me stop, take pause and reflect on the kinds of choices being made that fill my children's days as well as their minds. While reading it I kept thinking how ironic it is that our adult culture is currently embracing Eastern cultural thinking and ways of life through the books we've made best sellers...calming fountains we buy to bring the sounds of nature into our homes...even bead bracelets we wear to bring calmness/serenity/good health to our being. Yet what are we doing to our children? Dashing through their childhood from one planned activity to the next and spending hours in front of electronic equipment with no human interaction. Mitten Strings for God made me think hard about the importance of "conscience parenting"..and reminded me of the wonderful things that unfold in life when you slow down. It is a "must read" for all parents. Thank you, Katrina Kenison.

A dear friend quietly recommended this book to me, but I feel like shouting to the rest of the world that this book has added a quality to my living that I never knew possible. I shudder to think that I may not have breathed in her wisdom and ideas until it was too late.

I have read other books that celebrate living in the moment, and I thought I was doing more of it. But Kenison's practical suggestions, woven with her raw awareness for the simple goodness availabe to us in our lives, have finally brought me to the place, where for the first time in my life, I am making conscious decisions about raising my family and nurturing myself that are allowing me to BE rather than DO.

She has helped me to resist the flow of popular culture, and listen the the voice of the mother and person I know I have always wanted to be.

Like a millenium version of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift from the Sea", Mitten Strings for God is prayer for mothers to find and live more moments of pure joy and inner fulfillment. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Thank you, Katrina Kenison, for this important book that will become as legendary to mothers as "Gift from the Sea".

While this book echoes many of my feelings about being a mother, it added new life to the possibilities for enjoying and growing with my children. Kenison encourages parents to fully experience the world together by slowing down, listening more closely, looking more carefully and reaping the wondrous benefits of the people we created. The first night I read it, I found myself doing things differently. Written in short and inspiring chapters, each one is a delight. It's a treat for any mother who wants more joy amd meaning in her life with her children. I can't compare this book to any other I've read which makes it all the more valuable.

This book is a sincere, heartfelt letter to modern-day mothers that quietly points out how easy it is to lose perspective of that which is most important: raising our children in a loving atmosphere of reverence. Sharing her own experiences, Katrina Kenison gives us access to many of her successes and struggles with her two sons. I have "borrowed" several of her methods (creating a "healing basket" to cater to boo-boos, taking deep breaths together to avoid unnecessary blow-ups, developing a relationship with the brownie that lives in our house, to name but a few) and look forward to implementing more. She is a gifted writer who is able to move back and forth with ease between anecdotes and observations while maintaining a connecting thread over whatever the chapter topic may be (check out the table of contents link to the left of your screen).

There are times, however, when I wondered what it must be like to live in her perfect household, where the TV is permanently off and the parents and children play their musical instruments together for family entertainment. And, perhaps I'm a little overly-sensitive, but at the very end, I perceived a bit of working-mom prejudice (though the author admits to working part-time, she is able to work out of her home during the hours her children are in school). For the most part, however, I found this book sweet without being too precious (despite the rather cutesy title) and I do plan to purchase gift copies for friends.

This book puts into words all of the thoughts I have had over the years. We all know how to give our children the gift of a simple childhood. We just have so many competing pressures in the world that sometimes it is difficult to take a step back from all of the confusion. But this is something that many more mothers are trying to do. We are quietly taking back our families from the materialism, commercialism and competition that seem to be invading our lives. Reflections For Mothers in a Hurry can clarify these goals and remind us of the real reasons we have chosen motherhood. My grandmother has always told me to "enjoy the children". This book shows us the way to do just that. This book is very affirming and spiritually uplifting. Easy to read, the chapters are really independent reflections, each treating a different subject. There is no need to read it non-stop, though it is hard to put down. I bought two more copies, one for a new mom, and one for my friends. We are going to pass it around for inspiration and to share something we mothers all have in our hearts.

This book is truly a way for both children and parents to experience their lives in a richer, deeper, fuller way. The author tells us things we already know, but need reminding about. In this busy world we need to be reminded to enjoy what we already have. I am thankful to Katrina Kenison for helping to reground us.

This book brought Peace back into my chaotic household. I have a one year old and two year old and I sometimes wonder how I will survive another day. This book made me appreciate all the little moments. I thought it was so wonderful that I bought multiple copies to give to my friends as gifts.

Mitten Strings touched me in such a way that I felt like I was reading a letter from a good friend. There was a sense of peace reading it and imagining my family in her book. Her basic premise is to slow down, notice the details of your children's lives and be present with your family. But the book goes so much further than that. We all know to slow down...but to be reminded how magical it can be, with illustrations that are so tender is even better. I highly recommend this book and in fact purchased seven more to give to my friends as a special gift. I'd love to meet the author (Katrina) and sit over a cup of something on the front porch while our children run circles around the house!

It is rare to say but so true. It was given to me by an older woman and it truely changed the way I parent my two boys, see life and helped me create a summer that I will treasure. A must read for those who want to slow down and get off the "treadmill" of life.