A 2 hr and 53 minute Mp3 file, “Being the Mom: 10 things I learned by accident because I had children on purpose” by Emily Watts is a refreshing and very practical look at coping with the very interesting job of parenting. Read by Sister Watts herself, this book talks about the joys and frustrations that she experienced as a young mom and how she coped with it. She has said that this book about her strategies is more a series of hints to help other parents cope with young children. The strategies are simple and easy to implement into our daily lives.

While dealing more specifically with raising young children and keeping our sanity as we raise our children, Sister Watts also talks about our lives in general, our hobbies, our homes, and how all the things around us contribute greatly to how we raise our families.  When things around us are slightly out of balance, then the ability to cope with young children is less than it should be.  As we get so busy trying to put our lives in balance, then we don’t have energy for our families. Having Sister Watts read her book makes it more personal and easy to see the humor of her experiences as she learned the lessons she shares.

The strategy that stuck the most in my mind was strategy #3: Be Discerning. Sister Watts talked about how it is okay to go just one mile, rather than going all out on simple things. It made me realize that sometimes, as a member of the church, it’s important to make sure that my efforts are in proportion to what I am being asked to do. Sister Watts helpfully gives us the three main questions that she asks herself when doing something for others to make sure that all conditions are met. It is a good, objective way of realizing that sometimes its more effective to just give a little help or a bit of support. This really is a good book to give to new parents.

As a young mom myself, “Being the Mom: 10 things I learned by accident because I had children on purpose” by Emily Watts has been a great help to me and has really opened my eyes to ways that I can successfully raise my son and be able to give him a lot more of my time and my personality.  I had heard about this book in Relief Society one afternoon, and I am grateful for the opportunity to hear this book and for Sister Emily Watts sharing these helpful hints.  It is a very good guide to parenting and how to make our families our focal points.

Review by Amy Howard