Accessories

Best Parenting Book I've Read
Harriet Lerner mixes brilliant advice with comic relief. Anybody who has been a mother, or will be a mother, should read this wonderful book.

the extended phone call
I read this The Mother Dance in order to "review" a book for a family relationships class. unfortunately, i felt so unmotivated by the authors writing style and lack of factual infromation and studies that i had to skim through it just to be able to finish my paper. Lerner breaks down the book into stereotypical highlights that many mothers come across in parenthood, but does not allow for single mothers or stay at home moms. also this is writen strictly from her vantage point. the majority stories are from the view of a feminist psychologist, who got pregnant later in life and had not really planned to have kids at all. Her testimonials are support for her narrarations and all come from a Heterosexual couples standpoint (which is smart, cause that is most likely who will buy this book). and when she does talk about minorities or underclass mothers, it is to preach about how there are too many social injustices in the world. the flow of the book seems like one never ending phone call, with one woman complaining about her kids, and the other one saying that she's been there too.If i was able to, i would return this book and try to get my money back. if you plan on buysing this, please at least brows through the first chapter at your local library or bookstore before you invest money into it!

Wonderful enlightening book!
The Mother Dance spoke so clearly to my own experience of being a mother, including the highs and the lows. I especially loved Dr. Lerner's personal stories. She's one of the few national experts on families who doesn't write from "on high." Best were the parts about how fear and guilt operate once you become a mom. She also writes more clearly and candidly than anybody about exactly what happens to your marriage once a baby comes a long. Lerner writes from the heart, shares her own quirks and struggles and wisdom. She had me laughing and crying. I loved this book, and I gave it to my sister, who loved it as well. What mother wouldn't?

A Must Buy for Parents
Get this book NOW and give it to every Mom you know regardless of how old their children are! I read this book before I had kids to try and understand what my own Mom might have gone through. Now that I have 15 mo. old twins, I have re-read it during the long hours of breastfeeding! It is falling apart and my highlighter ran out of ink! Harriet Lerner has once again written a thoughtful, insightful, warm, and inspiring book. Through her experience raising 2 boys, she tells it like it is! I was so tired of parenting books giving me "steps to success" and rules for engagement - none of which work consistently. Harriet seems to be the first to recognize that we are all human and it is bringing this human-ness fully into our parenting that connects us with our children. Her real life stories demonstrate how being honest, curious, revealing, and loving can help us raise kids. I loved how courageous she was to reveal her own times of doubt and fear, and then to know what the outcome was for her. She also talks a lot of her husband's involvement and how they are in their different ways of being with the kids. It's just one of those books where you go, "Yeah, that's what happens for me, too." After reading this book, I felt as if I had been inside Harriet's home and seen first hand what it's really like to try and raise kids using your values, knowledge, and self awareness while simultaneously trying not to fall apart when they do something crazy. Thank you, Harriet, for helping me be a better Mom.

A Totally Honest and Funny Book
This book is full of great advice and heartwarming stories. Harriet Lerner had me laughing about serious things,like how children teach us all about fear and worry, and why advice like "set rules and consequences" isn't as easy as it sounds. Best of all, Lerner is searingly honest about her own experience ("Being a mother comes as naturally to me as being an astronaut," she writes) and includes lots of real-life stories about herself and other parents. So,on your Bad Mommy Days when you think someone should call the Parent Police on you, you know Harriet Lerner is right with you and that you are travelling in good company. I enjoyed every chapter and I highly recommend this book. --Jennifer Margulis,Ph.D., editor of Toddler: Real-Life Stories of Those Fickle, Irrational, Urgent, Tiny People We Love