The Mom I Want to Be: Rising Above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future [Paperback]

T. Suzanne Eller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2006

A woman’s experience as a mother is influenced by the mothering she received as a child. If neglect was a part of that upbringing, the woman who holds a newborn and faces the responsibility of parenting needs a healthy vision of motherhood.

T. Suzanne Eller compassionately discusses how a woman can turn from a painful past and embrace a godly example of motherhood. She shares

• how shattered legacies can be put back together
• the path to restoring the broken image of motherhood
• ways to let go and embrace a new story

This is a celebration of God’s healing power and how all women can become the mom they want to be.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Unpack unhealthy parenting baggage to not only heal, move forward, and let go, but to shape the next generation as you parent with stability, wholeness, and purpose.

This is a resource that can be used for individual growth, for small groups, in counseling, and for parenting organizations.

It's raw, honest, encouraging and practical.

About the Author

T. Suzanne Eller (Suzie) is an author and writer with Proverbs 31 Ministries. She has written over a thousand articles and several books to encourage women in daily life. Suzie has been featured on Focus on the Family, Aspiring Women, The Harvest Show, KLOVE, Encouragement Cafe and hundreds of TV and radio programs.

She is an International speaker, sharing with humor and insight on issues of family, faith, and feelings, and writes devotions to encourage over 500,000 women through Encouragement for Today.

Suzie is the host of Moms Together (facebook.com/MomsTogether), encouraging thousands of moms with hope and real-life help.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers; 1 edition (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736917551
• ISBN-13: 978-0736917551
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

T. Suzanne Eller's desire is to lead women in a new direction. She is Proverbs 31 Ministries author and speaker (www.proverb31.org) and has authored 5 books and hundreds of articles and columns. She's hosts thriving Facebook communities for women at Moms Together (www.facebook.com/MomsTogether) and Live Free. She has been featured on hundreds of TV and radio programs on issues of family, feelings, and faith. Suzie and her husband, Richard, are happily in love with their first grandchild, Elle, and when she's not writing you can find her hiking, rafting, and living life as God's girl. Visit Suzie at http://tsuzanneeller.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personal and Practical for Any Mom, July 20, 2006

By 

W. Terry Whalin "Publisher/ Editor / Writer" (Scottsdale, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mom I Want to Be: Rising Above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future (Paperback)

The slogan goes, "Perfect people need not apply." It's the same with motherhood. Suddenly you are thrust into the role (well, normally after nine months). What type of mother will you be and how can you avoid the pitfalls and improve on the actions of your own mother? Suzie Eller has faced these types of questions head on with her practical and well-written book. At the end of each chapter, readers can apply the material to their own lives with some spaces for writing. Also a leader guide is included to promote small group discussion.

I loved the tone of this book and here's an example from the introduction: "I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I will share my story and the truths I've discovered along the way. Rather than try to speak as an expert, I want to connect with you as someone who 'gets it.' I've experienced dysfunction, and I know how it feels to want to get on with life but still feel trapped. I know what it is to pick up the past over and over again and even to use it punitively. I know what it is to pray and hope for better for my own children and family. And now I know how amazing it feels to lay down the past by offering forgiveness and replacing hurtful memories with brand new thoughts and direction."

Or here's another small portion deep inside the book (page 125) in the chapter "Becoming a Risk-Taker" Suzie presents three principles for the reader to consider:

1. You don't have to try to be anyone but yourself.

2. When you accept who you are, you are more accepting of others.

3. When you take calculated risks, you discover talents and facets of your personality waiting to be developed.

Use the contents of this book to give your own journey as a mom a huge boost.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A JOYOUS LOOK AT MOTHERHOOD, October 3, 2006

By 

Heather Ivester (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mom I Want to Be: Rising Above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future (Paperback)

When I look at the cover of this book, the title says it all: The Mom I Want to Be. I want to be like the mom pictured on this cover, smiling happily with her children at the beach. She's beautiful, her kids are dressed in adorable clothes, there's an ocean in the background. Everyone looks ecstatic.

But the reality of motherhood is that I don't live anywhere near the beach! I've got piles of laundry to wash, sticky floors to mop, dinner to cook, and toys to put away. T. Suzanne Eller's book gave me a refreshing view of how to focus on the positives of mothering. Through doing so, we can discover the deep joy God longs for each of us.

Eller's childhood wasn't perfect, and her book contains memories of pain. Yet she wrote it with the blessings of her own mother, whose journal entries provide readers a glimpse of what was going on in her mother's life while she was raising her family.

Each chapter contains a journaling section, with questions to help readers work through issues in their own lives.There is also a handy leader's guide in the back, to aid anyone desiring to gather a group of women for a book study.

Chapters such as "The Power of Perspective," "Setting Boundaries," and "Becoming a Risk-Taker" will inspire women to be the best mom they can be: not perfect, but full of the deep joy that comes from making peace with the past and moving forward with hope.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review: The Mom I Want to Be, June 14, 2007

By 

Jill Hart "cwahmjill" (CWAHM.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mom I Want to Be: Rising Above Your Past to Give Your Kids a Great Future (Paperback)

The Mom I Want to Be is different from the other "mothering" books I've read. Eller tells her story of a dysfunctional family life and how she has overcome it to be a successful, loving mother. If you had a less-than-wonderful childhood or even if you simply struggle with minor pain from your past, you'll want to read this book. It's a vivid portrayal of the effects of our words and actions as parents can have on our children. It's also a touching story of how these hurts can be overcome.