“An Emotional First Aid Kit for Mothers” by Linda J. Eyre is a 3 hour and 5 minute book where five women share their own stories to help all mothers find humor and wisdom in our own lives.  As mothers we are expected to be the first aid giver to each child and to our husbands, and quite often we are the ones who need first aid in our own lives. The sisters all talk about lessons they have learned in their own lives as mothers and wives. This is a great book, particularly to help us understand that we don’t always have such a hard lot, and that there is a lot of humor and joy to be found by being at home. Barbara Bowen quoted James Thurber who said that “true humor is emotional chaos remembered in peaceful tranquiltiy”.  This is so true in the case of mothers, as we look back on situations after they have happened and find that they were very often humourous.  I think one of the other things that I particularly liked was something that Barbara Bowen did with her son which she called ”tell me your good, the bad and your funnies.”  This was a tradition that was shared by both mother and son. Earlene Blaser shared the experience of her son Brady, and how she learned to accept situations beyond her control by learning not to judge others without knowing all of the circumstances.  She also employed and talked about “the garbage can theory”.  Margaret Archibald talked about how as a mother she uses the “it all comes out in the wash” theory, meaning that it is okay to be flexible.
 
“An Emotional First Aid Kit for Mothers” by Linda J. Eyre is a great talk for any mother, as it helps just remind us that sometimes we forget to be flexible and relax as we strive to raise righteous children. The whole purpose of this book, as I see it, is to remind me to try harder to find the humor in raising children and to be flexible.  If I can find the humor in life, I will be more prepared to deal with whatever little challenges my children bring to me.  I will be better able to handle the stress of mothering and running a home. It is great to know that almost every mother experiences similar situations when it comes to their children. Thank goodness for that.
 
A. Howard, 
Hamilton, New Zealand