 |
||||||
|
| ||||||
REVIEW
Become a Mom Even the Beaver Could Love Ever have one of those days where you’ve done everything wrong? You’re stressed, you’re tired, your kids have spent the entire day playing video games, yet you have no energy or creativity left in you to interest them in something else. Heck, you’ve even forgotten to give your son lunch money and later find out he had to eat a piece of stale bread with peanut butter for lunch (you know this because the school sent you a haughty note that his account is so far past due that’s all he’ll be given until you pay up). You must be the worst mother on earth! Or not. Psychologist Ann Dunnewold would tell you to lighten up a little, get rid of the “shoulds,” and give yourself a break for a change. In her book, Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box, Dunnewold takes supermoms to task for spending way too much time “overprotecting, overperfecting, and overproducing,” and just plain overdoing. Dunnewold, a renowned expert on postpartum depression and anxiety, encourages moms (and dads, by the way) to lower their standards just a tad – rather than strive to be “the perfect mother,” strive to be “a perfectly good mother.” This can be achieved by letting go of the things that are stressing us out: overly-hectic schedules, overly-indulged children, and overly-high standards. Furthermore, Dunnewold encourages, mothers should work together rather than against one another in this great big fun game called motherhood. Rather than judge your fellow mommy, or rate yourself and your skills against her and hers, embrace one another’s differences and try to lead by example. You don’t have to shout your new less-is-more attitude from the rooftops, but subtly changing your lifestyle and showing other moms it’s OK to just let go sometimes is perfectly OK. Even June Cleaver…is an incredibly empowering book, doing loads to make moms feel better about what they may have previously seen as their failures. Dunnewold sprinkles the book with “perfectly good mothering mantras” such as: “There is nothing the matter with me.” “There are no perfect mothers.” “Children are more resilient, adaptable, and capable than society assumes.” For me personally, this book has caused a complete overhaul on how I’m raising and supporting my family…and how they can support me. Since reading this book, our calendar has been wiped nearly clean and the kids (and I!) have been happier and more relaxed because of it. I’ve found myself more at peace with my own decisions and failures, and feel more equipped to take on the day with my perfectly good mother hat securely in place. I encourage all moms to read this book, whether you feel stressed or not. You won’t be sorry you did. Jennifer Brown is a freelance writer in Liberty, Missouri. The two-time winner of the Erma Bombeck global humor award (2005 & 2006), Jennifer's humor column appears in The Kansas City Star. Contact Jennifer and check out her work at www.jennifunny.com.
|
||||||
|
