"Brave Mom" Book Review

I remember very well the moment I found out I was pregnant with our first child.  We'd wanted children for some time, so this wasn't really a surprise.  But all the joy I'd imagined I'd feel when I saw that positive pregnancy test was immediately replaced with panic.  Were we ready?  Would we be able to handle it financially?  And my biggest question of all: would I be a good mom?  After all, I suffer from an extreme lack of patience and I HATE getting up early.  Weren't those two "must have" quality traits of a good mom?  What did I get myself into? As my mind filled with all of these fears, all of a sudden I had my first "worst mom ever" moment. After all, aren't most women excited when they find out that their family is expanding?  Obviously, I was just a horrible person.

Boy I wish I'd had this book to read when I'd first gotten pregnant - or even before!  In her new book, "Brave Mom," Sherry Surratt, President and CEO of MOPS International, shares not only her top "mom fears" but the top fears other moms face.  I was surprised and comforted to find that I was not the only new mom who'd succumbed to these early moments of panic.

So here's what I loved about this book:
1.) Sherry is open and honest about her fears - legitimate AND irrational. - Its a great comfort to know that we are not alone in our fears - eve some of the "silly" ones.
2.) Each chapter has real stories from real moms. - Sherry not only shares her own stories of fear and triumph, but the stories of other moms as well. I found great comfort in these stories. In fact, here's an example of a paragraph from one mom that really touched my heart:

"My best days begin by praying aloud (so my heart and my head can hear it), 'God, I'm not in control. My boys are not in control. Satan is not in control. You are in control. I am so grateful that you - the one who knows me, my hopes, my purposes - is in charge. Help me surrender my boys to you, my will to you, and help me align my heart with yours. I trust you.' When it comes to overcoming fear as a parent, there are no magic bullets, but there are three essential strategies - prayer, prayer, and more prayer. It is the sure and certain way to draw near to the only One who loves your children more than you, and can carry them all the way home."

3.) Each chapter ends with 2 small sections: "Let's Get Practical" and "Let's Take Actions." - The "Let's Get Practical" section has 3 or 4 questions to help you process and meditate and what you learned from that chapter.  The "Let's Take Action" section is a simple suggestion to help you put what you've learned into practice.
4.) The book covers real fears and rational fears, moms of toddlers and moms of teenagers, married moms and single moms.  - Sherry leaves no one out.  She covers all sort of topics and all sorts of moms.

I really enjoyed this book.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I finished it in 3 days - which is highly unusual for me.  It was easy to read, straight forward, comforting, and helpful.

I received a copy of this book, free of charge, from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.