Loving The Little Years – A Book Review

I feel like at certain seasons I tend to get in a rut in motherhood. Times when I am just keeping my head above the water and putting out the biggest fires. It is this way after a new baby, and it seems to always get this way in the summer when we have a garden as well as being gone a lot.

Recently, a friend gave me a book called, Loving the Little Years, and boy has it been convicting! I read it in snatches during quiet time, and a bit here and there while I’m feeding the baby, and each time I read more I am inspired to train my children better, to be their friend, and to persevere even when life feels overwhelming.

Rachel writes about the twenty minute rule, which was a new thought for me, and very valid. “If you feel overwhelmed, look at the clock and realize that twenty minutes from now you will most likely be in a completely different situation.”

It’s so true for my life! In one given moment, Ariel is crying, Oscar needs a diaper change, and Gabe and Jasmine are fighting about who gets to jump off the steps first. Pepper the dog is scratching at the door to be let outside and the clock says lunch should have already been served.

And I feel overwhelmed.

But twenty minutes later Ariel is taking a nap, Oscar is changed, Gabe and Jasmine are setting the table, and I have the leftovers almost ready to eat. Twenty minutes can change your entire life as a young mama, and I love that tangible reminder.

Another chapter that really opened my eyes is the one where Rachel talks about the progress we never acknowledge.

When you have children close in age, as soon as one grows out of a stage, there is another child growing into that stage. (Or sometimes two!) It becomes very easy to never see that your children are in fact making progress, and that child #1 is going to bed sweetly,  because child #2 is working through that now. Child #2 is doing much better at finishing her food at mealtimes, but we never notice because child #3 is struggling to eat at all. 

And in this way we feel as though we are not making any progress, and our efforts to teach and train and be consistent are falling flat. Even worse, we are not encouraging our children for the progress they are making because we aren’t noticing it.

Oh how close to home this hits, and how much I have to work on! As I read I feel encouraged, inspired, and as though my toes have been stepped on. Hard.

If you are a mother with young children, get a copy of Loving The Little Years. It’s good to get a fresh perspective on mothering, and new ideas on how to address issues.