Title: Deliberate Motherhood: 12 Key Powers of Peace, Purpose, Order & Joy
Author: Compiled by The Power of Moms
Basic Overview:
Deliberate Motherhood is the first book published by The Power of Moms. As stated on their website, it features “the stories, wisdom, and ideas of more than 60 excellent writers who have come together to strengthen mothers.” If ever there was a book to read about motherhood, this is it. From the very first page, a beautiful foreword by Linda Eyre, I knew that this was not just another “self-help” type book on motherhood. There is such a wealth of knowledge and support throughout these pages that I found myself wanting to re-read every word again and again.
The book is easy to navigate and is organized similarly to The Power of Moms site. The first way it is organized is by four concepts The Power of Moms has found most mothers seek in their life: Peace, Purpose, Order and Joy. Each of these over arching concepts has three chapters for a total of twelve. These are subcategories, or as The Power of Moms calls them, “powers.” These include acceptance, love, patience, individuality, intention, progress, balance, priorities, organization, fun, optimism, and moments.
Parts I liked best:
1. One of the things I really enjoyed about the book is that while each chapter has one main author, there are other voices and perspectives we get to hear as well. The book has more than 60 voices, and each voice comes with its own wisdom and experience. In some of the chapters the voices are woven throughout the main author’s writing whereas others are put after the main part of the chapter. There are quotes, stories, and comments that reaffirm just how important these topics are and give mothers further enlightenment.
2. I loved that the first chapter and power is acceptance. Author Allyson Reynolds covers acceptance of so many things mothers today struggle with, myself included. Topics include “Accept that Motherhood is Hard” (pg. 5), Accept Yourself–Warts and All” (pg. 6), and “Accept That Your Best Really is Good Enough” (pg. 8). Learning to accept yourself and your stage in motherhood really sets the framework to put the rest of the principles in this book into practice.
3. I loved reading stories “from the trenches.” One I enjoyed was Catherine Arveseth describing finding her twin boys playing in the bathroom: “Gordon is plunging a Care Bear into the bowl while Spencer scoops handfuls of yellow water into his mouth. Not only did someone forget to close the door, they forgot to flush” (pg. 48). Another was from April Perry who wrote, “Keeping our nap times in tact was of the utmost importance, and I’m sure you can imagine my angst when I heard my four-year-old coaching her two-year-old sister on how to “escape” from the crib: ‘Now Gracie, all you have to do is put one leg over like this…’” (pg. 227). The stories in this book range from funny, to happy, to heartbreaking, but there are so many where I thought, I can relate! It is nice to hear stories about other moms, doing their best for their families, while still having their “real moments.”
How this book made an impact in my life, especially as a mother (or why I just really liked it):
This book has helped me reframe my vision of what is most important. It has helped me to be present in the moment with my children and have fun as a family. It has inspired me to become a better and more deliberate mother.
I enjoyed reading the book front to back in one sweep but it can be used so many different ways. You could read the chapters according to it’s corresponding month. Or you could read by topic, starting with something you may be struggling with or wanting to learn more about.
There is something for every mother within this book. It will be one of those reference books that will constantly be pulled off the shelf, if it ever even finds it’s way off of my night stand. Reading these inspired mothers words each evening is a wonderful way to put our day into perspective.
For more information on Deliberate Motherhood and to purchase a hard copy or digital copy, visit our Deliberate Motherhood page.
evs says
I have to say I did NOT like the bok from reading the sample excerpts on the website…However I gave it a go anyway and really enjoyed the full book 🙂 I also like how it is organised in themed chapters, so I can come back to whichever one is particularly relevant at the moment (patience, maybe 🙂 ).
What I liked most is how varied are the family circumstances of the contributors. I have to say, that sometimes I feel like an outsider here (being a secular working mom of one) on the website, by the book left me with a warm and fuzzy “I’m not alone” feeling and a strengthened determination to grow threw motherhood 🙂