10 Habits of Happy Mothers

If you're in the midwest I'm sure you're well aware that the feel like temperature of today is around -44, and most schools and even some businesses have closed for the day. So it's the perfect time to pull out a good book and read!

December's read was "The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose and Sanity"  by Meg Meeker, M.D. Meeker is a pediatrician, a mother, and an author. I must say that I quite enjoyed curling up in bed after Zooey fell asleep for the night to read this book. It was very uplifting and thought provoking. Meeker's book has 10 chapters each with a quality of a happy mother with at least two stories as an example of this necessary quality. Each chapter ends with ways to keep this quality in your life.

10 Thoughtful Meg Meeker, M.D. Quotes:


#1 Understand Your Value as a Mother

"Women who have a healthy sense of their own value are delightful to be around because they never play games, put on airs, or try to impress anyone. They don't need to because they have a sense that they lack very little. It isn't that they are enamored with themselves--quite the opposite, they are humble. They are so comfortable with who they are that they are free to elevate others."

#2 Maintain Key Friendships

"The deep mystery of friendship is its intense security, which accepts us exactly as we are and at the same time yearns for us to change, to improve and live a better life. And that is exactly what establishing healthier habits is all about."

#3 Value and Practice Faith

"Religion is between man and man but faith exists between God and human beings."

#4 Say No to Competition

"Being kind to loved ones is easy, and it makes us feel good because when they are happier, we feel happier... But the real test comes when we reach out on behalf of those we don't really like. And most often we don't really like the mothers whom we're jealous of. So if we want to get rid of our jealousy, the best way to shovel out the rot of the feelings is to find something very nice to do for the other mother."

#5 Create a Healthier Relationship with Money

"Rarely do kids describe their mothers as being fabulous moms because of the material things they provide. When I ask adult children about their parents, they talk about their mothers' greatness in terms of their kindness, affection, and caring. (Yes, and they even describe their favorite foods their mothers made.) Young kids talk to me about their moms' moods, how fun they are or whether they are crabby. They don't boast about their shoes, their schools, or the sports they play when talking about their mothers. They talk about their moms, not what their moms give them. As far as kids are concerned, good mothers are known by their character, not by the education, clothes, or coaches they supply."

#6 Make Time for Solitude

"I can assure you of one thing. In our frenetic, noisy world where we tell to many lies about ourselves--mainly that we must be thinner, kinder, busier, smarter, harder-working, more perfect mothers--we needs solitude more than ever. We cannot live without it if we are to keep our wits about us and not lose our minds. Saying that we deserve it doesn't cut it. We need it. Our survival as moms depends upon it; otherwise we will become merely reflections of the messages that we hear every day. We will lose any hope of authenticity. And when this happens, not only do we lose, but our children and spouses do as well. Finally, we mothers need to learn to wait in our solitude. We must wait for refreshment. We must learn to be patient for answers, understanding, healing, and finally, peace."

#7 Give and Get Love in Healthy Ways

"The best way to express love is to figure out what, specifically, makes a loved one feel loved."

#8 Find Ways to Live Simply

"Living with less of something frees up more time in our lives so that we can be about the business of really living life."

#9 Let Go of Fear

"Most fears are real and all should be driven out, if not for us (though this is certainly reason enough), then for our kids. What we carry, they carry, too. Life is too short, and we all deserve to live it free of fear."

#10 Hope Is a Decision-So Make It!

"Trust is hard, and since hope requires that we trust the one in whom we place our hope, it too is hard. But that's what we mothers are really good at--doing the hard things in life."


If you do pick up this book, I hope you enjoy it, because I found it to be a rewarding read.

On a similar topic, a couple months ago my sister recommend I watch the BBC show, "Meet the Midwife". It has inspired January's read: Jennifer Worth's"The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times." Worth reflects on being a midwife in London's post war East End. It was a difficult experience that helped her grow as a person and impact hundreds of lives.

Enjoy this January read!