FanFiAddict obviously mostly seems like an SFFH blog, but I was assured that I can post all my other reviews here as well. While I won’t drown you all in smutty reviews all the time, I do have a non-SFFH book here and there that I really want to share with more people, especially non-fiction ones. This is one. Parenthood can be exciting and fun but also overwhelming and all-consuming, especially for the default parent. This book made me cry countless times, but it also made me feel seen and validated. I want everyone to feel this way.
Synopsis
A deeply personal motherhood memoir about how the challenges moms face daily sharpen them into stronger, braver, and better parents for their children.
Motherhood is hard. It’s full of plenty of moments where a mom might think, “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Danielle Sherman-Lazar has had this thought many times as she’s raised her four young daughters under 10, from her struggles with breastfeeding to two of her daughters’ stays at the NICU. Through personal and honest stories on motherhood and her struggles with eating disorders, Mothers are Made shows how moms aren’t instantly born along with their babies—mothers are made through time and experience. It’s when mothers go through the fire, Danielle argues, that we are forged into resilient, brave, and courageous parents.
Danielle’s writing is raw and relatable, and she shows how overcoming challenges with eating disorders, then facing the challenges of perfectionism, self-doubt, anxiety, and loneliness has given her tremendous inner strength, resilience, and confidence. Through real stories full of honesty, love, tenderness, and humor, she reminds her readers that they, too, have the knowledge and tenacity to persevere through any obstacle.
Mothers are Made will help moms realize that they can handle crises as they arise—large or small. And they will recognize that they are not alone in their struggles. Danielle’s vulnerability will help readers find the courage to keep going through the uncomfortable parts of motherhood, knowing they’ll get to the other side—a better, happier, and stronger mom.
Review
Mothers are Made is the kind of book I wish I owned in print so I could annotate it and have it to flip through later whenever I need a kind word. Full of relatable scenarios that included critical self-talk, chaos toddlers, and frustrating interactions with other adults, I constantly wondered whether she had secret cameras in my house. Though I only have one child compared to her four, I’ve experienced many of the same things she discussed in this book.
I love that we got to accompany her through a recollection of her own life that led up to where she is now. This is not a book by a picture-perfect homemaker that has always had the patience of a saint. This is the story of someone that’s gone through her own trials and tribulations to arrive at her current location, and I enjoyed learning about that transformation.
All throughout, she includes little pep talks to her readers that tell us about the lessons she’s learned along the way and the fact that we don’t have to be perfect to be good parents. But we do need to love them and we do need to try our best, to learn from our mistakes, to keep on going even when things are rough. That doesn’t mean we need to do things alone though or that we should always put on a happy front when we are struggling. This is the kind of book I want to share with other mothers to show that I see them, that I’m there too, and that we can do this together. I cried so much while reading this and hope that more parents will read this and know that they’re enough, even when it doesn’t feel like that sometimes.
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