The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity
Dr. Meg Meeker
Ballantine Books, 2011
Ever heard the saying ‘If Mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy’? We don’t always like to admit it, but there is truth in that statement. Dr. Meg Meeker’s book The 10 Habits of Healthy Mothers walks moms through a list of issues that threaten our peace of mind, and provides practical tips to help deal with them. She addresses our attitudes towards the many aspects of our lives as women in a honest, relatable way that makes you think “Me too!”.
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The topics range from self-care, to our attitudes about money, to our relational needs for faith and friendship, and everything in between. I loved the wide range of subjects and the validation and understanding of why we feel the way we do from someone who is a mother herself. Dr. Meeker is very open about dealing with these thoughts and attitudes in her own life. Additionally, her background as a pediatrician makes her uniquely qualified to comment on the effect that a mother’s state of mind can have on our children. And The 10 Habits of Healthy Mothers is full of first hand stories that illustrate the problems in our thoughts and perceptions that make the ten habits necessary, and gives examples of how real mothers worked through their issues and came away happier.
I bought another book by Dr. Meeker, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, for my husband a few years ago. I was impressed with her wisdom and matter-of-fact approach to parenting and child behavior, and that opinion remains unchanged after reading The 10 Habits. Because let’s face it – we could all use some help parenting sometimes. It’s hard and tricky, and fun and rewarding, and occasionally weird or awkward. The words in this book are uplifting, challenging, and encouraging all at once and I would recommend The 10 Habits of Healthy Mothers for any mother. No matter your stage of life, whether you work or stay home, if you have one kid or eight, I think there is something for all of us to learn from this book.
I love reading and this looks like a good one! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, hope you get some good information from it!
This looks like a great book!! I totally agree that when I’m not at my best, everyone in my house feels it and is affected. I’ll have to check this book out and the ‘Strong Father, Strong Daughters’ book.
I loved both of them, hope you guys find them to be good resources!
I love this! Thank you for sharing some really vital resources to ensure we all stay sane 🙂
No problem!
Looks like I need to add another book to my reading list! Thanks for bringing this one to my attention!
You’re welcome! Anything to help a fellow reader 🙂
Self care is important for mothers – and for ALL women!
Absolutely!
I’ve not heard of either of these, but I can see how they would be helpful. I’ll have to look for them.
Hope you find them helpful!
This book sounds wonderful. It’s so important that we take care of ourselves just as much as we try to take care of everyone else!
Yep! You have to put in before you can take out.
I’ve got to to CHEck this out!! Looks awesome and I can use all the time!
We can all learn from this book, even women who aren’t mothers yet!
I am not yet a mom, but I know a close friend who I think could really benefit from ready this book. Self care is often the one thing we all forget to do, regardless of if we are moms are not – sometimes its important to put yourself first (similar to the air mask on an airplane).
Absolutely! You can’t pour out of an empty glass, so its important to keep yourself full 🙂
I haven’t heard of this book, but it sounds like it could be a great read. I will have to check it out!
I really liked it. Hope you find it helpful!
This looks like a really great read! I will have to add this to my reading list. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
You’re welcome, hope you find it helpful!