The Book That Makes Me a Better Mother

My husband accuses me of being a bit of a stalker when it comes to Katrina Kenison.  However, I don't think buying 4 or 5 copies of her book Mitten Strings for God makes me stalker, and I imagine she doesn't mind!  It's my new go-to gift for anyone I know who gets pregnant.  I wish I would have found the book when my children were even younger.  Reading it just makes me feel so peaceful, and much less worried about whether or not I'm doing everything "correctly."

One of my co-workers found Katrina Kenison when she saw her YouTube video for her book The Gift of an Ordinary Day.  I did tell my co-worker that I was a bit put out that she sent the link to me on my work email because I should not have watched the video at work.  I'm not much of a crier, and I really HATE to cry at work; but there were definitely a few tears shed while I watched that.  So of course I looked into her books after seeing that moving video about how we should work to appreciate the ordinary moments with our children because that's what we'll miss when they're grown.  It was backed by beautiful music provided by one of her sons.

I don't like being overly busy.  One of the really unpleasant side-effects of being overbooked is that I tend to hoard my free-time and refuse to commit to anything, even when it's important.  So I stopped enrolling my children in so many activities and it really did seem to help the family dynamic and everyone seemed calmer and less stressed.  But I was feeling horribly guilty and thinking that my kids were going to fall behind and wouldn't have the life they wanted because I wasn't being enough of a "tiger mom."  Then I read Mitten Strings and realized that I wasn't taking anything away from my children.  I was giving them the gift of their childhood by allowing them to have unscheduled time.  And I was giving myself the precious gift of time with my kids, because it's nearly impossible to understand how quickly the time goes by until you have children.  So this book which reinforced the choice I'd made provided me with validation and a sense of peace that I so desperately needed to be a better mother.

She has another book out now called Magical Journey, but I'm not ready to read it.  I feel like I'll get more out of it if I read it when my kiddos are almost grown and I'm at the right life-stage to be able to fully appreciate it.  I felt like I was a little bit on the early end with Ordinary Day since it's more about her children in high school, but it was another reminder to appreciate the now, because it won't last forever.  So obviously I highly recommend checking out her blog and these books.  Maybe they'll speak to you the way they spoke to me.