Book Time: 'Loving The Little Years'

 

On Sunday I read the book Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic.  I discovered it while reading her article Motherhood Is a Calling .  The book is short (94 pages of material) and is made up of short chapters (20 altogether).  So it doesn’t take long to read, and it doesn’t require intense concentration to understand.  Yet it is enjoyable.

Here is the author’s description of her book:

I didn't write this book because mothering little ones is easy for me. I wrote it because it isn't. I know that this is a hard job, because I am right here in the middle of it. I know you need encouragement because I do too.

This is not a tender reminiscence from someone who had children so long ago that she only remembers the sweet parts. At the time of writing this, I have three children in diapers, and I can recognize the sound of hundreds of toothpicks being dumped out in the hall.

This is a small collection of thoughts on mothering young children for when you are motivated, for when you are discouraged, for the times when discipline seems fruitless, and for when you are just plain old tired.

The opportunities for growth abound here but you have to be willing. You have to open your heart to the tumble. As you deal with your children, deal with yourself always and first. This is what it looks like, and feels like, to walk as a mother with God.

One of my favorite parts was her description of female emotions, comparing them to wild horses.  We, and our little girls, are the riders and we must learn to control them, though the emotions themselves are not the problem.  “The goal is not to cripple the horse, but equip the rider.”

Another chapter in the book dissected an “intense” scene of getting everyone ready for church and out the door on Sunday morning.  (Have you ever had one of those mornings?)  I appreciate the way she took everything apart, showed where the problems were, and also explained who was to get “the blame” and how to fix the problem in the future.

Another thought-provoking section dealt with “me time.”  This is such a theme among mother friends and in parenting magazines!  It was refreshing to have this contrasted with a Christian perspective.

Overall, this book strikes a nice balance between figuring out why problems happen in the first place, how to look for the root issue, and illustrations of how her family deals with some of the common troubles young children face.  So much of the problem is not what is happening as much as why.  I also appreciate her emphasis on having the mother in the right place spiritually as an ultimate priority.

I hope you read this book if you get a chance, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!