Irreverent, thought-provoking, hilarious, and edgy: a collection of personal stories celebrating motherhood, featuring #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jenny Lawson and Jennifer Weiner, and many other notable writers. Listen to Your Mother is a fantastic awakening of why our mothers are important, taking readers on a journey through motherhood in all of its complexity, diversity, and humor. Based on the sensational national performance movement, Listen to Your Mother showcases the experiences of ordinary people of all racial, gender, and age backgrounds, from every corner of the country. This collection of essays celebrates and validates what it means to be a mother today, with honesty and candor that is arrestingly stimulating and refreshing. The stories are raw, honest, poignant, and sometimes raunchy, ranging from adoption, assimilation to emptying nests; first-time motherhood, foster-parenting, to infertility; single-parenting, LGBTQ parenting, to special-needs parenting; step-mothering; never mothering, to surrogacy; and mothering through illness to mothering through unsolicited advice. Honest, funny, and heart-wrenching, these personal stories are the collective voice of mothers among us. Whether you are one, have one, or know one, Listen to Your Mother is an emotional whirlwind that is guaranteed to entertain, amuse, and enlighten.
Ernest always does what his mother asks...and never has any fun. When a new boy moves in next door, Ernest's mother encourages her son to make friends. But the new neighbors seem a little bit...strange--monstrous, even. Obeying Ernest's new friend Vlapid's mother means Ernest must do things he'd never dare try at home. And it's fantastic! Veteran children's book author Florence Parry Heide and her daughter Roxanne Heide team up with Kyle M. Stone to create a gleefully subversive take on the traditional new neighbor story. Lots of energy and mayhem, and a cool gothic approach to the illustrations make this a great choice for Halloween and all year round.
Mama of ten Abbie Halberstadt helps women humbly and gracefully rise to the high calling of motherhood without settling for mediocrity or losing their minds in the process. Motherhood is a challenge. Unfortunately, our worldly culture offers moms little in the way of real help. Mamas only connect to celebrate surviving another day and to share in their misery rather than rejoice in what God has done and to build each other up in hard times. There has a be a better way, a biblical way, for mamas to grow and thrive. As a daughter of Christ, you have been called to be more than an average mama. Attaining excellence doesn’t have to be unsettling but it will take committed focus and a desire to parent well according to God’s grace and for His glory. M is for Mama offers advice, encouragement, and scripturally sound strategies seasoned with a little bit of humor to help you embrace the challenge of biblical motherhood and raise your children with love and wisdom. Mama, you are worthy of the awesome responsibility God has given you. Now it’s time to start believing you can live up to it.
“An affectionate tribute to her tough, powerful Chinese mother.”—Kirkus Reviews “I devoured this book in one sitting...alternately cheering, laughing, cringing, and gasping in horror. Lui captures the complexity of a mother-daughter relationship that is both complicated and beautiful. Poignant with a bare honesty that may make you think (and rethink) your own relationships.” —Jenny Lawson, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened Meet Elaine Lui’s mother. She’s “a movie, an Amy Tan novel, and a sitcom all rolled into one.”* Or as her daughter sums it up: “She’s Chinese, she squawks like a chicken, she is totally nuts, and I am totally dependent on her.” With tales of brutal mah-jong competitions, all-cap texts (“YOUR BAD SKIN NEED SOUP”); public shaming, and pearls of occasionally-bizarre wisdom; Lui not only paints a portrait of a challenging, frustrating, fascinating woman that will make you laugh and cry—she eloquently describes exactly what it’s like to love someone who drives you crazy. “A remarkable memoir about Lui’s relationship with her Hong Kong-born mom, who makes Tiger Mothers look like pussycats.”—Tampa Bay Times *Lisa Gabriele, author and TV producer
If only I had listened to my mom, is a story about a little boy who is eager to start his day filled with adventures. Only he has a bit of a struggle listening to his mother, which lands him into some unpleasant surprises. He quickly learns a valuable lesson of why it is important to listen to his mom.
Our culture is self-obsessed – in our schedules, relationships, and especially online. (Can you say selfie?) But in this near-narcissism, people are less content than in decades past. Why? Because we forgot the joy that comes from putting others first. Doing so requires us to live alert, listening for “heart drops,” hints from those in our lives who need a helping hand or a generous dose of encouragement. Living alert lifts our own spirits, showing us that blessing others blesses us even more. Listen, Love, Repeat offers biblical teaching and suggests doable actions that are simple, heart-tugging, sentimental, even sneaky and hilarious. This message: • Presents scriptural examples of those who lived alert, including Jesus, who noticed those who least expected to be seen. • Explains the role of good works for followers of Christ. They aren’t our ticket to heaven but they are our marching orders on earth. • Gives creative ideas for showing love to friends and family, and suggests practical ways to reach out to the lonely, the marginalized, the outcast, and the odd duck. Additionally, it helps you comfort the grieving, showing what you can do when you don’t know what to say. • Provides inspiration for blessing the “necessary people” in your life, those often-overlooked souls who help you get life done every day, and teaches you how to hug a porcupine by genuinely loving the hard-to-love. As we scatter love, we create a safe space where we can openly share the gospel. We get to see lives changed right before our eyes. Most importantly, Listen, Love, Repeat will enable you to live a life that is full of kind deeds, not to selfishly shout, “Hey! Look at me!” but to humbly implore, “Will you look at Him?”
Dear Reader, Will you go on a journey with me? I need to tell you- this was hard, but I put it out there anyway. It's personal, and I'm inviting you to scream with me, cry with me, be so angry you can't stand it, to better understand with me, but most of all I'm inviting you into my life and being part of my healing. Growing up I was shy, angry, insecure, and constantly messing up my life. It continued into my adult life...I wanted more, but I had to clear the air with my mom. I had to say the things I never wanted her to hear. But it had to happen and I invited her on the same journey you're about to take with me. Here is how it started- I asked my mom to listen. FROM THE BOOK Mom, I need to be honest, I think about death a lot. I am not sure why, but I remember watching my dad being slowly lowered into the ground and I can't help but think he had more to say. I doubt he knew he would die before his mom, and I am so afraid that you would have questions if I were to die today. I know for sure dad would want to make things right with his mom, as well as you and me. I can't imagine not making things right with you before I die. Death is always lurking around the corner. This thought of death drives me crazy because I need you to know what I feel. I need you to know how I have handled our crazy life. I tried to disown you many times because I felt as though you chose a lifestyle over me, but I now know the truth. I am so scared to write this, but I'm afraid to die with it still inside me. I am so afraid to mess this up or that I'm going to let you down and embarrass you. I am scared to have people judge you. I am afraid the words won't come out right or what I mean to say will be taken wrong. I don't know how I am going to do this, but I do know one thing for sure. I am afraid. I need help writing this, but I have nobody to turn to, much like my childhood. Alone with my thoughts and wondering what it would be like to have someone to turn to. I need to warn you-you will cry. I know this because I start to cry, just thinking of what I am about to say to you. I know you picture a muscular 35 year-old man, who isn't afraid of anyone or anything, but I am still that little boy who was scared to be alone. I'm still that little boy who was told: "you're the man of the house now!". I am that little boy who wanted to protect you, but was too small to do anything about it. I want that little boy to heal. Death is always chasing me. I'm afraid of death, and the only way to fearlessly face death is to heal that little boy. I am talking about the boy who wants so badly to be a man, but at the same time doesn't know what that means. I know there is a man inside of me somewhere, but he won't show himself until the little boy is healed. He won't reveal himself unless I tell the truth. Mom, I need to heal. Will you help me? I need you to listen. HERE IS WHAT I WOULD SAY IF YOU WILL LISTEN. If you're ready, I am prepared to reveal the man that's screaming to come out. The man of my potential. I am nervous, but I am going to write anyway. I challenge you to embrace all the feelings that surface. I have learned that feelings are not to be avoided. After all, they are called FEELINGS. They are to be felt and used. Will you promise to feel with me? I promise to be quick and not use too many big words:)
This heartwarming picture book reassures children that a parent’s love never lets go—based on the poignant lyrics of JJ Heller’s beloved lullaby “Hand to Hold.” “May the living light inside you be the compass as you go / May you always know you have my hand to hold.” With delightful illustrations and an engaging rhyme scheme, this book offers the promise of security and love every child’s heart longs to know. From skipping stones and counting stars to climbing trees and telling stories, every moment is wrapped snugly in the certain warmth of a parent’s presence and God’s blessing. With poignancy and joy, this bedtime read captures the unconditional love parents want their children to know but so often fail to express amid the chaos of daily life.