19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ONE WOMAN'S REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF MOTHERING, September 7, 2005
This is one of my favorite books. My copy has been loaned and returned several times, and I've filled the margins with stars, exclamation points and amens!**! I'm so extremely thankful Mrs. Farris and her daughter took the time to write it.
If anyone has doubts about children being able to be properly educated at home, they need look no further than this book. It was written almost entirely by Mrs. Farris' second daughter, Jayme, who was only in her early 20s at the time of publication. As I read it again recently, I was simply amazed that a young woman could capture the wisdom and experience of her mother, and what a joy it must have been for them to work together on this project.
I can't understand the other reviewers who write negatively about this book. The title is absolutely perfect! It's not supposed to be a practical how-to guide; it's a journey, a very personal peek into the life of a large, successful homeschooling family. Mrs. Farris bravely tells the story of how she came to be a mother of ten children and why they chose to homeschool.
I've heard Michael Farris speak before, and I too wondered what kind of a woman could possibly mother and teach ten children. So that's why I bought the book to begin with. Mrs. Farris writes, "I am a very normal mom who happens to have a very visible, talented, and energetic husband...I struggle regularly with feeling overwhelmed...A super-mom could certainly write her own book! I am very much a mom like you. And from one normal mom to another, let me just tell you that God is faithful..." (Her husband is a successful attorney, the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association, founder of Patrick Henry College, professor, author of several non-fiction books and novels, and has won many awards.)
The theme of her whole story is that God alone can enable and give grace for a person to accomplish anything. Mrs. Farris grew up as a shy, only child who had little practice in domestic arts or caring for children. She even admits that she is a "scaredy cat" when her husband is away traveling. Yet she uses her weaknesses to draw on God's strength.
The book encompasses her journey of child-bearing, beginning with the birth of her first daughter, and ending with her new role as grandmother. She goes into great detail about how she and her husband made the decisions that led them along this path. It made me see how powerful information is to women in their child-bearing years. While listening to a Focus on the Family radio show, she became interested in homeschooling. Later, it was through reading a magazine article by C. Everett Koop as well as Mary Pride's book, The Way Home, that she decided to relinquish control over planning her family size.
The whole book is funny and encouraging. We see her youngest Peter jumping off the coffee table. We agonize with her as she is planning a wedding while still taking care of a child in the middle of the night. We see how her daily afternoon walks help her stay sane and refreshed.
She explains the Farris' principles of child-rearing, mainly "our ultimate goal is to not to raise children, but to raise adults." She discusses the delicate balance between rights and responsibility as children move through different ages. This wisdom is so helpful for moms in the trenches with young kids (like me). I can't personally talk to Mrs. Farris about why her kids turned out so well, but I can read her philosophy and reasoning, and it makes me want to trudge onward and upward, never losing hope.
The last two chapters are extremely inspirational, and for anyone who is planning a mother/daughter speech or tea, these chapters offer you great ideas. She quotes another of my favorite authors, Elisabeth Elliot, who says, "None of the gifts of my own life -- not my "career" or my work or any other gift -- is higher or more precious to me than that of being someone's mother."
The high calling of being a mother is precious indeed. I'm so thankful to have a book that reminds me once again of this powerful truth.
--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester, Mom 2 Mom Connection
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rave reviews from another home school author..., June 19, 2000
This review is from: A Mom Just Like You (Paperback)
I confess. The real reason I bought A Mom Just Like You is because I just self-published a book on the same topic, and I wanted to check out the competition! It's an awesome book! Vickie Farris may be one of the most famous veteran home school moms in the world (she has 10 kids and is the wife of the President of the Home School Legal Defense Association) but I don't detect any conceit in her at all. She tells you what she has struggled with, what she has done about it, and most importantly, how our Gracious God has brought her through. Her second oldest daughter, Jayme, co-wrote the book with her. This team did an excellent job.
When I received this book, I noticed a section where Vickie describes the tough challenges presented by her oldest daughters, and I read these paragraphs to my own oldest daughters. One of them shouted out, "That's me! She's writing about me!" It was such an encouragement to her.
The whole book was a boost to me. It's so great to know I am not alone in all I face. All home school moms will appreciate this book but I think it will especially meaningful to those who are educating a whole houseful.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mom...just like I am a mom!, October 8, 2006
This review is from: A Mom Just Like You (Paperback)
Several reviewers were very disappointed by what they considered to be a misleading title...I wanted to ask them a question...don't you think the author could have meant that she is just a mom...just like you are a mom? Not all moms are the same. There is no way ANY author could write a book that could address EVERY mom's unique experiences. Why should we expect that? The only thing a person can write about with true authority and sincerity is what they have experienced themselves, and I certainly felt that this book was sincere.
What I liked best about this book (which is a favorite of mine and I have recommended it to others many times) is the honesty with which the personal experiences of this family are shared. It was encouraging to read about the struggles they had with various issues and how they resolved them. They did not claim to be perfect...what a relief to hear that not everybody "gets it" the first time and that other people struggle with obedience and attitude just like I do. ( In this area she IS a mom just like me!)
Sometimes in books we get the impression that some other way is just so EASY (at least for the person who wrote the book) and figure that if we try that particular method it will be easy for us, too. The reality is that by the time people get around to writing a book it IS easy for them because they have taken the time to iron out the wrinkles and they may have tried a half dozen other approaches to find the one that worked best for their family. That is why I really liked this book...the reader is allowed to see the wrinkles in the journey, and seeing those imperfections greatly encouraged me about my own. Thanks to the authors for sharing their ups and downs!
This book was kind of like having tea with another mother down the street who has been homeschooling longer and listening to her story and the wise advice hidden in it. Not everything was a perfect match for me, for who else's life is, but I can still get a lot from the lessons she learned in her story. For example, while I cannot afford a housekeeper or paid helper either, I CAN befriend the lonely teenager across the street and foster her love for children by letting her play with my little ones while I get some uninterrupted work done in the next room, solving the same two problems (messy house, no time to clean) in a different way. I was just grateful to hear that I was not the only one who struggles to meet the needs of the family and the desire for a clean house...and it helped to hear her husband's advice to "let things go a bit." Whew! You mean an immaculate house, home baked bread, and perfectly behaved children who love what they are doing every day, all the time, is not necessary? Hooray! Sure, I would love that, but it is not realistic to expect that all the time. This book helped me see that I can get beyond the difficult days, get creative with the solutions, and above all, listen to God for my answers.
On the subject of the family planning chapters: my own husband and I have been wrestling with this one for years as I have a chronic migraines and he is in the military and often gone. This book is one of the major factors that is encouraging us to let God decide what is right for our family (we currently have four blessings) and I am grateful for it. Releasing childbearing to the Lord may not be where another reader is at in their journey when they read the book, but I, for one, am glad that the chapters are there. I really didn't feel it was in any way condescending. In fact, I thought the author was quite transparent about all the times she and her husband chose to disobey what they felt God was telling them to do. That's brave, not condescending. Also, it was to those same two chapters that I went after we lost a baby to miscarriage, for I felt Vicki really understood the pain of that loss, yet also understood the Sovereignty of God, and I was greatly comforted.
Thank you for the encouragement.
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