4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WONDERFUL ENCOURAGEMENT FOR MOMS OF PRESCHOOLERS, May 23, 2005
This review is from: And Then I Had Kids: Encouragement for Mothers of Young Children (Paperback)
AND THEN I HAD KIDS is my all-time favorite parenting book, and I've read dozens. While so many authors give parents specific how-to tips and make us feel like failures if we don't follow their advice exactly, Yates shows us it's a tough but often hilarious calling to raise young children.
Because her book was first published in 1988, readers today can be assured Yates knows what she's talking about. Her five children are now grown, married, and raising their own families. Since her husband and children have also written books, the Yates' successful parenting experience is documented in the various stages of their journey.
From this authority, Yates offers expert survival tips for mothers still in the trenches raising young children. Her book opens with the sinking feeling that her house is too quiet. Where are the twins? She discovers little black footprints trailing from the fireplace, across the brand new carpet, to the utility room freezer. "Peering inside, I found two little girls black with soot joyfully looking at books!" By seeing her in this situation, we understand she's been there, done that, and she knows what moms of young kids go through every day.
The book is divided into ten sections: the first chapter offers a general overview of the challenges that face mothers, then the next eight sections look at each challenge specifically and offer tips for overcoming them. Examples include maintaining a positive image, establishing priorities that work, becoming a best friend in marriage despite the heavy demands of child-rearing, disciplining children, and shaping a Christian home. She ends the book with ideas for parents heading into the teen years, which is another age she writes about in AND THEN I HAD TEENAGERS.
If you enjoy this book, you'll also like Yates' essays, which are archived on the site for Today's Christian Woman magazine. Parents of college students will be blessed by another book written by the Yates' sons, THE INCREDIBLE FOUR-YEAR ADVENTURE: FINDING REAL FAITH, FUN, AND FRIENDSHIP AT COLLEGE.
I highly recommend Yates' book for young moms, even going so far as to say it's my "Bible of parenting." I've given away so many copies of this book to women in need of encouragement, and I've read and reread it dozens of times myself. Although many more recent books have been written on this topic, this is one of the absolute best.
--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect gift for moms!, December 3, 1999
I highly recommend this book to all my friends and have given it as a special "mommy" present. It is so easy to think you are alone in the highs and lows of mommyhood. This book didn't make me feel like a failure as a parent, like so many other parenting books do. Two thumbs up!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific!!! A must have for mothers with young children!, March 17, 1999
By A Customer
Whether you're a stay at home mom or a mom who works outside the home, you will see yourself in this book. Right away in chapter two I practically said out loud "Hey, that's _me_ she's writing about!" Then Susan offers practical advice, encouragement, and best of all -- empathy! This book would make a great gift for someone who has kids ages 7 and under! Susan is also sensitive and doesn't make any judgments about moms who choose to stay home and moms who choose to have a career while their kids are little. How refreshing!!
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