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As moms we are always bombarded by information and advice about our kids. With judgement from others, worrying about "fitting in" and following the latest trends, as well as the general "interconnected-ness" of our lives we can be pointed in so many different directions.
That's why I loved this book.
The biggest thing I took away from it is that there are very few right answers. Every child is different, every mother is different, and every family is different. We all have different challenges and strengths, and the varying combinations of those in or lives can help us pick the best things to do for our families.
That's the key... the best thing for YOUR FAMILY.
You can't pick the best thing for me, and I can't pick the best thing for you.
From Grandma to You exemplified that idea. This is a book of advice from moms and grandmothers who have
BEEN THERE. They've done it before! The teething, the potty-training, the illnesses, all of it. They've been-there-done-that, and this book shares their advice from grandmas of all backgrounds.
And you know what... not all their advice is the same! Yet they all went through similar stages with their kids and grandkids. The reason there's no "user manual" that all children come with, is because even though children primarily go through similar stages of growth, their experiences are rarely the same. Even two kids in the same family can have vastly different experiences and challenges. Kids are different, parents are different, and I love that this book gave so many different pieces of advice that moms can use to find what works for them and for their kids.
I'm a believer that you can never learn to much or hear to many good ideas. The trick is taking all those ideas and not getting caught up when one doesn't work; just try the next one! Find what works best for YOU, and do it.
It's divided in chapters to help organize the advice, and each section has suggestions from a variety of grandmas as well as Dr. Rich, a pediatrician. The chapters include: enjoying motherhood, eating, pacifiers, tips & tricks, sleep, crying, discipline, and home remedies.
A couple favorite parts:
In the chapter on discipline a grandmother told the story of how her grandfather would flip a spoonful of water at the offender to get their attention and get them to stop whatever undesirable thing they were doing. She said it "was especially handy for cooling off an argument before it got to heated." She remembered how Grandpa was so sly that they rarely even saw him dip the spoon in a cup of water before water was shooting across the room at their face! "[They] knew it was half in fun, but [they] also knew he meant it."
Another section talks about how sometimes we give our children too many choices before they're ready. Instead, one grandmother suggests giving two or three options and letting the child pick between those. For example, pulling out two outfits from the closet and letting our child pick from those two instead of putting the whole wardrobe up for grabs. "Let your child choose between two right options as you start to teach them about making correct choices."
Things My Mom Did:
I got a little chuckle as one grandmother recounted how she used to dress her six boys alike in brightly colored shirts when they were in busy places so she could count them easily. My mom did the same thing! You could easily spot all 5 of my siblings and I dressed in bright yellow shirts and jean overalls at the zoo!
This book also mentioned the Alphabet game we used to play in the car on road trips (you know, before ipads). We would start with A and try to find the letter A somewhere along the road (like on a road sign), then move on to B etc. I remember loving this game as a kid, and it kept the six of us quite entertained in the back of the mini van on our family vacations...that is until we got to X, Y, and Z and got frustrated that they were seemingly
impossible to find!
Other favorite snippets:
"Grandchildren need grandmothers, even if they're far apart."
"Use time spent feeding your baby to do something you enjoy."
"Each child is unique and wonderful and deserves our unconditional love, immense patience, and very best efforts."
"If your baby's crying is driving you crazy, put the baby in a safe place and leave the room or pass him to someone else.
Crying never hurt a baby, but frustrated adults have."
"Loving, supportive grandmothers and other mothers can provide invaluable help to new mothers during tough times--just ask them."
Things I need to remember:
"Learn to be patient with yourself -frustrating, difficult, or even scary experiences happen to everyone."
"Don't wish the miracles of childhood away-- appreciate moments every day."
"Guilt is a choice-- a feeling, and is totally worthless to either mother or child."
"It's the mother's worrying, not the children, that's the biggest problem."
Word of caution:
In the traveling section of the book, Dr. Rich suggested giving Benadryl to kids before you travel. Don't get me wrong, for some kids that works great! But make sure your child is
old enough AND d
o a test run at home...Otherwise you might end up like my mother-in-law... On a trip with my husband when he was a young child, she did what she had been suggested and gave him Benadryl to try to subdue him a bit as they traveled. Unfortunately, Benadryl had the opposite effect on him and he ended up bouncing off the walls the whole trip!
Going along with the example above, my least favorite part of this book was the advice from Dr. Rich. It wasn't that it was necessarily bad advice, it was just the least valuable part in the book- in my opinion. I found most of his advice be a bit outdated and not what a pediatrician would suggest in 2017. That being said, he
did work as a pediatrician for over 50 years, and had over 300,000 office calls, so his advice definitely isn't all bad! I would just suggest finding a pediatrician for your child that you trust and that stays up to date on current findings, and use him/her as a helpful guide in deciding what's best for your child. The doctors our daughter sees have been so helpful at educating us, as well as answering our questions when I do my own research. We have so much information available to us, use it wisely, do your research, find doctors you trust, and do what's best for
your children.
Overall, this book was so positive and uplifting! I loved how it helped me feel like I'm doing a good job as a mother, while still giving me a few pointers of things I can work on and try. It didn't make me feel overwhelmed or like I wasn't "good enough" like a lot of parenting books tend to make me feel.
This book helped me feel stronger in the idea that if I'm doing what works for my kids and myself and that really is what's best!
In short... MOMS this book is for you! And GRANDMAS, you're the ones who need to buy it for them :)
This book is perfect for new moms, young moms, or any mom that might just need a little encouragement that they're on the right track. It would be a perfect addition to a baby shower gift or would make an excellent Mother's Day or Christmas gift on it's own.
PRINTABLES:
To help make gifting this book easier, I've created a handy little printable that YOU can add your own advice to and give it along with the gift.
I also created a version if you'd like to have a little more freedom with the advice you give ;)
It's a blank slate for you to write what you feel is most important.
And here's versions of both for if you're not a Grandma :)
When you read this book, my wish is that you'll get as much out of it as I have. And that it reminds you that you're doing a good job and that YOU'RE A GREAT MOM!
And I hope that when you gift this book that you do so with love and make sure your support and help comes right along with it. Like this book says
"A grandma is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend." And frankly, as moms we need all the help we can get ;)
Get it HERE on Amazon.
Thanks for Reading,
