Dr. Laura

I wasn't expecting much with this book because Julia said she didn't like it as much as Proper Care and Feeding. Sometimes timing is everything with books--and I needed to read this book just now. It's not that I don't have a testimony of motherhood or that I don't love what I do most of the time, but sometimes . . . and those "sometimes" were coming more frequently of late. Not because of the children, but because of other things and other people and my being easily offended. This book was a great reminder that motherhood is the thing, not the thing we try to avoid while we do other things.

Positives: I loved how brutal she was to working moms. Hardly anyone will really lay it on the line like Dr. Laura. Yes, there is a huge difference between children who are at home with their mom and those who are not. That's just the way it is and all the sugarcoating in the world won't change it. I was a working mom at one point and it is extremely hard on the mom emotionally as well. I think that's why I buy into the Hurried Child point of view that child competence is an idea created to justify two-income families. Women have to make it okay in their own heads somehow because emotionally it is devastating to leave young children with other people.

Also, I loved all the letters from women who talked about spending time with their children. I needed to be reminded that it doesn't matter what other people think of my house or children or parenting style--it is about me and my children enjoying our time together. Would it be easier to remember that if I didn't live by family? . . . Hmm.

At first I thought the organization was terrible because she makes all the same points in each chapter. However, by the end I liked it. I liked to be reminded over and over of the same main points (yes, moms, you are making a difference by being home, no one can take your place, you miss out if you aren't there, your children need you, your marriage will be better if you stay home) because it was what I needed to hear.

So . . . can't think of any negatives right now. Like I said, I think TIMING played into how much I liked this one.

I'm still working on Hurried Child.