Customer Reviews

Mommy Manual, The: Planting Roots That Give Your Children Wings

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a non-Christian, but picked up this book after reading Barbara's blog, Mommylife.net, because her writing style is so accessible and her tips are so practical.

This isn't a book that will make you feel like a failure or like you couldn't possibly live up to the standards in the book. She gives simple and practical tips and exercises to do either by yourself or with your child to encourage a spirit of helpfulness and joy in learning, work, and play.

I don't have kids yet, and I bought this book as a way of preparing myself for the challenges ahead and as a way of understanding my small relatives and their development. I found a lot of practical tips to help me feel prepared for living with children and structuring my home and life so that they feel welcomed and important.

One tip I liked was about practicing mindful movement, so toddlers can see us focusing on a task and can learn to emulate our concentration as they build their coordination and learn to perform new tasks. There are fun exercises for young ones to do to develop their focus.

I also liked Barbara's suggestions on making the home a hospitable place for our young ones. She describes the home from a child's perspective, and shows us ways of making them feel welcome and important by making a few simple changes to our decorating/ organizing strategies and by using stepstools or other tools to allow them to be a vital and engaged member of the family.

Barbara speaks often about God and about what a wonderful and important job motherhood is, so if the G-word puts you off then this may not be the book for you. But I felt that the philosophies of joyful respect for motherhood, and the ideas of mothering purposefully and helping your young one develop a sense of satisfaction in helping others, were really helpful and positive for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Barbara Curtis has really struck a chord with me. Her writing is heartfelt and genuine without any of the sappiness that usually accompanies Christian authors when they talk about parenting. She offers a wonderful blend of personal anecdotes and practical advice to illustrate the points she makes in her book. I feel like I have been allowed into her home for a glimpse of what mothering twelve children actually looks like. She is not ashamed of her past and she is ready and willing to admit her mistakes and what she has learned from them.

Based on her teaching in the Montessori method of education, she gives several suggestions as to how to better know children. By getting down on the level of one's child and seeing the world through their eyes, we are able to better facilitate opportunities for them to learn and grow. While she uses Montessori as a sort of framework, she fills in the "gaps" with practical lessons and examples from her own family life to illustrate her points. Although I doubt she would give herself this label, I would suggest that Mrs. Curtis practices "grace-based parenting" and her ideas are totally consistent with attachment parenting.

My son is 9 months old and lately, I've been mourning his infancy. Its gone by so fast! After reading Mrs. Curtis' book, I am absolutely thrilled at the wonderful work that is to come. I can't wait to use what I have learned from this book. I can start even now. After reading this book, I find myself more excited by the plethora of opportunities I will have each day to teach my son, to help him feel secure in this big world, and to create a joyful, loyal, and memorable home-life. This is a newfound excitement and I am grateful to Mrs. Curtis for her willingness to share her wisdom and wit with us all.

Its a great read as well... it almost reads like a novel in that I didn't want to put it down. However, the sections are short enough that its easy to read with a little one crawling around.

Pick it up. You won't regret it and it will totally bless your life.

This is one of those books that, once you read it, you just can't help talking about it.
It's fabulous. I was thrilled with the whole thing - start to finish.
Barbara draws on her experience as a mom (and she has a lot of experience! - 12 kids!) to teach mommies all about building up your children and your family. I got so many great ideas for creating traditions and discipline. She talks a good bit about uncovering the potential God put in each of our children, too, and that's such an important thing for me to keep in mind when my little ones are causing me to pull my hair out:) She also includes a great list of children's books to read aloud - one of our favorite traditions - and a list of really good family night movies. I think Christian mommies have an especially hard time finding books and movies for our kids because in addition to wanting quality, we also want something that reinforces the values we want to pass on. This list was really helpful for me.
The greatest thing about this book is just how real it is. I'm always on the lookout for a "Titus 2 Woman" to sit down and chat with - about raising godly children, about what I need to be doing now so they'll be responsible, loving adults later. There aren't many women around who are willing to sit down with you and say "this is what I did and my kids turned out pretty great." It's just a great practical and inspirational book and Barbara is a great writer. I recommend it whole-heartedly!

The Mommy Manual puts into book form what you would learn from sitting down and chatting for hours with this teacher, and, more importantly, mother of twelve. What should I focus on in the first few years? How should I arrange our home so that the kids can learn and participate? What is a good way to handle chores? Wrong behavior? What are good books to read at 2,5, 7? What about movies? How can I work on character development? What kind of traditions help give our family unity while having fun? I have found that the suggestions work - like putting the dishes (plastic) on a low shelf and having the children set the table. The Mommy Manual has given me a vision of what my children and family can become and how to get us there.

I loved this book! If I had the money I would buy one for every mom I know! The author had so many great ideas about being a parent and how to raise your children in a way that will encourage them to be all that God has for them. I felt very inspired after reading this to try to be more patient and enjoy every minute with my daughter, even when she insists on doing things her way :). I have started modifying things around the house so she can do things more independently and she really does beam when she accomplishes a new task. I encourage you to get a copy of this book and start trying some of the suggestions! I'm already looking forward to rereading this again.

This is the most important parenting book I have ever read. It goes far beyond outlining strategies for "surviving parenthood" and offers instead the insight and tools we all need to create a fulfilling lifestyle conducive to raising independent, loving and happy children (regardless of their differences). Through very specific examples drawn from raising twelve children of her own, her strong grounding in Montessori techniques and her Christian faith, Barbara has written a book that every mom will refer back to for as long as there are children in the house. She offers very realistic ideas on how to encourage our children to be independent, respectful, giving and creative. She outlines ways to help your child acknowledge and overcome "bad habits" or even situations that may not seem like they are in their control. She gives specific lists of age appropriate chores, as well as reading, movie materials and even family traditions that inspire and build strong values. This book reminds us of how truly blessed we are to have children and then provides us with the tools to make the absolute most of our parenting days. This book has changed how I see my role as a mother. This book has changed my life.

I can't recommend this book enough to all new moms (and older ones too). It is truly one of the best books, if not THE best, out there to help moms ENJOY those early years of mothering.

My advice? Buy at least 5 copies. One for yourself and four more to give out at Baby Showers. :o)

I am a homeschooling mother of four children under the age of six. I bought this book to be a Christmas present for my first time pregnant sister-in-law. When I got the book home I started to read a few pages and well.....it became MY book. This book is so awesome. THE BEST BOOK ON PARENTING I HAVE EVER READ. I plan on reading this book over and over for many years to come. I also feel like another reviewer in that I wish I had enough money to buy everyone I knew this book. THIS IS A MUST HAVE! Barbara Curtis is definitly being used by God.

As an experienced Mother with Montessori training, Barbara Curtis has many pearls of wisdom to share- both general, and specific. As a soon to be mother myself, I found this to be a very helpful guide. She emphasizes helping children to become more happy, independent, and respectful, and offers many useful tips to bring families closer together. I particularly appreciated her clarification on how to set appropriate standards/expectations. She emphasizes that parents should expect their children to be good people (i.e. respectful, moral, etc), rather than measure them by their achievements.

I did find this book to have some weaknesses - the introductory chapter is filled with anologies/metaphors that I didn't find to be useful...the gist of the whole chapter is "being a mother is hard and that's why you need guidance." Near the end of the book, she discusses the source of her own morality/values, which is primarily her Evangelical Christian background. I noted in a few instances a slight hint of homophobia creeping into her critiques of pop media (she criticizes the director or Legally blond 2 for being very pro-homosexual). My religious views are different than the authors, but I didn't find that this made the book less useful. She doesn't promote her own views too strongly throughout much of the book. Rather, she encourages parents to share their particular values with their children, rather than leave that aspect of their education up to the TV or school system. For the most part, she uses her values as an example, rather than suggesting that you must adopt similar viewpoints. But given that this book is peppered with examples of how to apply Christian faith to parenting, I think people with strong Christian faith, and especially Evangelical Christians, will get a little more out of the book than those with other faith backgrounds.

I love this book. It was a totally different perspective than the one I had been operating under. This book (as well as Barbara's other books and website) have inspired me to take a more proactive approach to my parenting and to enjoy a phase that is so often seen as difficult by other people. I really wish I'd had this book when my oldest was a preschooler, but it has still positively affected my parenting of him, as well as my younger two kids.

I've gotten so many ideas for enriching my kids' lives and learning in ways that aren't hard or complicated or intimidating. Barbara's writing is accessible and engaging. I've read the Mommy Manual several times and am currently reading The Mommy Survival Guide. I have found these books to be the kind of parenting support I needed!