Customer Reviews

What Every Mom Needs

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

. . .Author Deborah Lewis once said that while the early years of your children's lives go by quicker than you think, there are some individual days that seem to go on forever. For those days and those times, this book is just what you need. It's very, very easy to read--you can usually get through a chapter in just a few minutes after your child is finally down for the night, or just before you finally get to bed yourself. This is usually the one I've reached for after a day with my daughter where one or both of us were not as noble or Christlike toward one another as we maybe should be. And I always come away with something that I try out to make tomorrow better. It deals in very plain, simple prose with how tough it can be to get your own needs met in the midst of diapers, messy floors, and emergencies. But then it takes things one step further. You won't find any "magazine article perfect" advice here--just simple-but-effective steps you can take toward keeping your dreams alive, finding the support you need to go on, managing the load, and feeling good about your choice to become a mother. You will not feel talked down to here--in fact, you'll say, "oh, man, that's JUST how I feel right now" and "I'm NOT the only woman who feels this way." And the ideas for taking action are great--they realize that these are not the years to just totally make over your life, but that, just as learning to walk is a cumulative process for your kids, little steps toward your own self-improvement really do add up.

Two other things that made have made this book a real winner as far as I'm concerned: First of all, Elisa and Carol give very generous credit to their sources, including an appendix with footnotes, and a "for further reading" list at the end of each chapter. What I especially liked about this was that they did not limit their research to Christian authors and sources. Thanks to them, I rediscovered Barbara Sher's book "Wishcraft" and as a result of digging through HER book, have more or less rekindled some dreams of my own. So, I feel as if I owe Elisa and Carol as much a debt of gratitude as I do Barbara. Isn't that cool? And secondly, they emphasize very strongly that all moms need to look out for each other--none of this "mommy war" stuff between women who work outside the home and women who are spending a season at home.

And I do have to agree with the other reviewer about this book making a great shower gift. I heartily recommend that this be given to a new or expectant mom, along with a gift certificate for a free night of babysitting. You'll definitely get that mom's prize for best present!

"What every Mom needs..." is just wonderful. I am a mother of older children and enjoyed it tremendously! I plan to give this book as a baby shower present for years to come. My daughter will inherit my copy.

I purchased this book when my kids were preschoolers and I was struggling to find my place as a new mom. This book was a heaping dose of medicine to me that revealed that I wasn't alone in the emotional turmoil of the mothering role. It doesn't given parenting advice, but speaks to the hearts of mothers as individuals. It gives helpful building block ideas to help one to form a personal checklist and keep emotional and parenting health in check. I purchased about 20 more copies to sell in my ladies group since I felt there were so many new moms that would benefit from this. They all went! It's a keeper for me.

If you are a mom and are struggling with your new role and how to adjust, this book is for you!! It is funny, compassionate, and well-written. I love the realistic quotes from other moms as well as the inspiring ones from other books. Reading this reminds me that I do have a very important job and that I am important to my family. Buy this book!

A great book for the woman who feels like her only identity and purpose in life is to be a "Mom" and has forgotten her own name. This book encourages women to cultivate their own interests (again) and encourages women to make time for themselves, because one must be refreshed in order to refresh others. This book lets you know that you are not the alone in your struggles of parenthood, and that it's fine not to be the perfect "super mommy".

For readers who are turned off by the "evangelizing" in the book I have a few things to say to you: NO ONE FORCED YOU TO READ THIS BOOK. Don't be turned off by the writers' use of Biblical principles. They're only suggesting that you get into the Bible and become a better person. They're showing you a way to make your life easier, based upon their own (and countless other THOUSANDS of other women's) experiences.

[...]

I bought this book when my firstborn was a newborn and I was struggling with all of the changes involved in being a new mom. This book was a huge relief. Mom's are allowed to dream and grow! I just needed someone to tell me that...

After hearing Elisa speak recently, I had to order her book! Definitely a must read for moms of any and every age!

Great book. I have read a lot of mom books and this was by far one of the best. As a warning it does start out on a high and does seem to get a bit jumbled towards the end. Maybe the author had a deadline. The beginning half is amazing though.

This book is disappointing. While it does go into what a mother needs (time to herself, understanding, and acknowledgement that motherhood is not a 'nothing' job) the answers provided are - despite the assurance that the book is useful to someone "Whatever your heritage or faith" - rather biblical. Further, at times they aren't even in the book but referenced in such a manner; ... and on truly difficult days, the answer can be found in Eph 2:5. Not helpful when the washing machine is overflowing and baby has a toothache.

And that is sad because this book is well-written and informative in what it calls the 9 basic needs of MOPS (mothers of pre-schoolers):
significance (Sometimes I wonder if mothering matters),
identity (Sometimes I'm not sure who I am),
growth (Sometimes I long to develop who I am),
intimacy (Sometimes I long to be understood),
instruction (Sometimes I don't know what to do),
help (Sometimes I need to share the load),
recreation (Sometimes I need a break),
perspective (Sometimes I lose my focus), and
hope (Sometimes I wonder if there is more to life).

If you're a Christian mom who stays home primarily because of religious beliefs, this book is right up your alley and should be given a 4-star review.

If you're not Christian then the biblical references will make you want to throw this book against the nearest wall and for you, I would suggest a 1-star review.

If you're a working mother thru choice then the unvoiced assumptions that SAHM is the only !right! way to raise a child will make you want to throw this book on the busiest highway around and for you, I would suggest a half-star review.

If you're a working mother (particularly a single working mother) because of necessity then this book may present you with some good information regarding these nine basic needs and for you, I would suggest a 2- or 3- star review and seeing if it is at your local library.

I was so excited when I bought this book. Dispair set in once I disovered the focus was on stay at home moms of very young children. I couldn't get past all of the examples of the trails and tribulatiions of "new moms" to focus on the 24/7 balancing act of working moms.