Finding Your Inner Mama: Women Reflect on the Challenges and Rewards of Motherhood

By Eden Steinberg

Book Overview

Motherhood can be one of the most intense and transformative experiences of a woman's life. While there are many books that offer the "do's and don'ts" of effective parenting, few offer guidance on navigating the tumultuous inner experience of being a mother, with all its joy, pain, change, and uncertainty. This collection of writing by psychologists, poets, novelists, spiritual teachers, and everyday moms explores the rich, transformative journey of motherhood.

- Poet and novelist Louise Erdrich captures the sheer wonder and awe of early motherhood.
- Self-described "hip momma" Ariel Gore reflects on the challenges of dealing with her daughter's adolescent rebellion.
- Journalist Joan Peters highlights the rise of the "Power Mom" and the risks of overparenting to our children and ourselves.
- Zen teacher Cheri Huber shares a spiritual perspective: sometimes it's us parents who need a "time out" so that we can be more fully present and loving with our children.

Previously published in hardcover under the title Your Children Will Raise You.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590304233
• ISBN13: 9781590304235
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Trumpeter
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Encouraging and Insightful Read

Our book group really enjoyed this book. It has a great diversity of essays reflecting on the many stages of motherhood. Some of the essays are a bit long, but others really spoke to me. I enjoyed the selection of essays looking at the spiritual aspects of motherhood, with writers of various faith backgrounds. The book also includes some discussions of the modern challenges and pressures facing mothers. While many new motherhood books focus on the funny or frustrating parts of being a new mom, this book seems to have a deeper perspective. Some writers will still make you laugh knowingly at their reflections and others may bring you to tears. I would recommend this to any new (or not so new) mom.

A collection of *real* stories

There are countless child care books out there that tell you how to raise the perfect child, how to precisely educate a 2 year old, how to deal with tantrums, how to solve every problem from sleepless nights to bed wetting. Most of these books aim to have you create a picture-perfect baby in a smiling, happy family. Most parents, though, discover that a baby isn't ruled by a book. The child simply won't sleep - it won't stop crying. Our emotions, despite our best efforts, can swing through all sorts of thoughts. That is where the stories of Finding your Inner Mama come in. This collection of stories from many different mothers in different stages of rearing helps to show the diversity of emotions that motherhood can bring about - and show that they are all OK. Sometimes you don't bond instantly with a child when she is born. Sometimes the traumas of a hostile teenager can wear away at you. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, that toddler is going to scream for an hour or more. The stories help you to understand that yes, this is OK, this happens. You have to release your preconceived notions of "perfect child" or "a pat solution to every problem" and go with the situation. Well recommended.

I'm passing this book around to all the moms and moms-to-be that I know.

A collection of realistic takes on different aspects of motherhood by many articulate women out there about the joys and pressures of being a mother in this day and age. Truly hits home. Reassuring. Written/assembled clearly in reaction to to all the doubt and guilt-inducing "Are you sure you're doing the right thing for your children?" messages that are so prevalent out there in the media.