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:
- Perception
- Pondering
- Passion
- Prayer
- Patience
- Preparation
- Purpose
- Planning
- Problem Solving
- 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:
- Parenting must be intentional.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
