640.00 Non-fiction Book Review In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms

[SusanwithaGoodBook]

Title of Book: In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms

Author: Dr. Laura Schlessinger

Date of publication: 2009

Publisher: Harper

ISBN: 0061690309

Number of Pages: 224

Where it can be purchased: Amazon, etc.

Illustrated? No

Genre of the book: Non-Fiction

Rate your book: Highly Recommended

Appropriate Age group for this book: Adults who stay home to raise children

Book Summary:

Building on the principles developed during her long career as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Dr. Laura will encourage and enrich the lives of women who chose to stay home and take care of their families -- her largest listening audience. Learn how to thrive out of the workplace and confront the common misconceptions about nature of the 'job.' Dr. Laura offers readers a profound and unique underestanding of how important it is to raise your own children, and how stay-at-home moms ultimately benefit this country as a whole.

Opinion of the Book:
As a stay-at-home and homeschooling mother I have at times felt the derision from working mothers of my choice to stay home. I’ve heard that I’m wasting my intellect, my college degree, and my time. I’ve heard the age old “My kid just looooooves daycare or preschool or his after school program.” And then there’s the ever popular, “I just couldn’t do that, I’d be SO BORED!” But the most upsetting one for me has always been the strangely popular “I just couldn’t do that, they drive me crazy! I love it when they go to school. I even hate holidays and summer!” I’ve always wondered why these people even had children. Maybe that’s why I truly enjoyed this book.

Doctor Laura’s book is definitely going to upset the working mom, so if you’re one of those, don’t bother to pick it up. She definitely puts down that choice, and gives plenty of good, concrete reasons for believing that the love and attention of an unhurried, unstressed mother is best. A fair reading of it shows that Doctor Laura acknowledges that not every family is perfect, but she maintains that a stay at home mother is still better than a working one unless the mother is abusive or neglectful. She uses hyperbole to make her points at times, but she also uses concrete examples and testimonials from real life mothers and children. [My own experience working in a day care center mirrors the comments from the writers in her book. After two days in that place, I knew I’d never put any child of mine in one.]

A lot of the book is devoted to explaining to the stay-at-home mom that if you’re still feeling overly stressed or not enjoying it, then you probably aren’t doing it right. Husbands are critical to the family, and Doctor Laura is big on the necessity for a happy, healthy marriage to support the growth and development of the children, even with mom at home. She encourages moms to remember to make their husbands - their marriages - a priority. This is not done to make moms feel less than, but to help them see that if their marriage is strong, they will, in turn, be happier in the long run. She strongly emphasizes not making your children the center of the universe, but rather part of the family unit - a team - working through life’s problems together. She also gives lots of other tips on getting rest, finding support, and - most of all - looking for the little joys in a simple life of spending time in the family.

It really is a beautiful picture of the way a family should work. So many in our world want to put down the family structure, and marriage and children as a priority in favor of the self. Women are encouraged to “find themselves” and find fulfillment in ways other than in a family. It was refreshing for me to read a book that reminds us to find our fulfillment in our families and in serving each other.

[atara]

I listened to this book within a year after my son was born. At the time I didn't think I had work options, but I wanted to stay home with him.

I think she does bring out great points. Whether you engage in Mommy wars or not, her reasons and benefits for staying home are compelling.