The Passionate Mom

I finished a book yesterday, The Passionate Mom.  And I encourage all my friends who are moms, or who are wanting to be moms, to read this book.

Susan Merrill, Director of mom-parenting website iMOM, wrote this amazing book to parallel being a mom…->to Nehemiah.

From the intro: {He} has a passion for the people he loved, just as we moms have a passion for the children we love.

Nehemiah provided a pattern for us to follow, what Susan calls the ten Ps:

1. Perception
2. Pondering
3. Passion
4. Prayer
5. Patience
6. Preparation
7. Purpose
8. Planning
9. Problem Solving
10. Perseverance

Each P is a building brick in the wall {remember, Nehemiah was sent to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem}…and as you know when you build a wall with bricks, there is also mortar involved.  The mortar is revealed in each chapter, for each brick – what it takes to put the brick in the wall, so to speak.

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I am not a reader.  But, I read this book in less than 3 days…less than 3 full days as I’ve had many other things to occupy my time.  It’s a really easy read; Susan is transparent and confessional in her writing and there is so much to glean from this book.

A couple of takeaways I’ll share:

1. Parenting must be intentional.
2. Parenting isn’t cookie-cutter -> my two kids may need to be parented differently.  What works for Reynolds may not work for Eliza Jane and visa versa.
3. Parenting can be messy, crazy and like being on a roller-coaster.  But you get more out of the roller-coaster than the merry-go-round.
4. Parenting is about relationships.  One area in which I fail miserably every day.  I am task, production-focused so this is the one that I must work hard at, every day.

Parenting is not easy, but the reward is great.  And what fun is the merry-go-round anyway.  Learn the 10 Ps, get on the roller-coaster, and be sure to fasten your seat-belt….tightly.