Surrendering to Motherhood: Losing Your Mind, Finding Your Soul

This book was an answer to my prayers, literally. When I was suffering from wondering "what if..." flights of fancy ("what if I had pursued a glamorous career instead of committing to my family", etc. etc.), this book convinced me beyond any shadow of a doubt that I not only missed NOTHING, but that I gained EVERYthing, with my choice. The last few chapters of the book had me weeping....I felt something inside me just "click" with the RIGHTNESS of it all! Someone actually did live the life I had always dreamed of and fantasized about, and in the final analysis found her absolute fulfillment in "surrendering to motherhood". Through the author, I lived that life, and saw how shallow and fleeting the joys would have been. What an incredible gift! I've read some of the reviews, and I am really surprised at some of the ugliness. First, the reviewer who wasn't even a mother had NO business commenting. Sorry, but truly you have to be a mother to "get" surrendering. Secondly, I noticed a lot of snide, snarky remarks about her having nannies and book tours. Well, I'm most definitely NOT of the "Nanny" class of people, and none of that bothered me in the least. Actually, it was really refreshing to see that money and glamour does not bring you happiness (I mean, I already KNEW this, but it was just really a huge confirmation for me). I can say that because her book made it so REAL for me. Perhaps she is just a really gifted writer, for this book to have touched me so, but whatever the case -- I am immensely thankful that I found this book. I might not identify with the lifestye that the author is probably accustomed to, but her feelings about motherhood and her precious children? That cuts across all class and money lines...

I think the previous readers comment..."IF [capitalization added for emphasis] I were a mother" says it all. Until you are a mother, you could NEVER understand what the experience exacts from your heart and gives to your soul. As mothers we ARE strong women. We have the strength to restrain our zeal for self and surrender to the most basic of all desires..to love another MORE than yourself...Again, Thank you Iris for writing a book that lets me know I am not alone...as one can see from Ms. Prince's review not everyone understands what it feels like to stand over your sleeping child, the one you prayed would fall asleep an hour before, and want to wake him or her and just snuggle and sing and answer those tough questions like...mommy will you always be here when I open my eyes from sleeping and look up?

when our identical twin daughters were in their early twos, I found myself going "mad" with their demands and the demands that I put on myself as a stay-at-home telecommuting mother/publicist and healthcare professional in private practice in a university town on the prairie. i would stop off at our small bookstore/coffeehouse and stare into space until wone afternoon I found myself staring into the bookshelves. There it was...the spine of Krasnow's "surrendering to Motherhood". I picked it up and over the course of the next six months I did it over and over again each time I visited the coffeehouse. I finally purchased that copy, and have read and reread it. It has been a lifeline to my own sanity, a guaranteed chuckle when I feel like sobbing and has given me a thread of hope that I am not alone in my longing to sit all day and watch my girls at play. I don't know if it's great literature or light magazine article reading, and frankly I don't care what others think, I just know that it has been my friend and I think I am clearer and a better mom for its presence on my desk. Thanks Iris,

Iris Krasnow paints an honest picture of the struggle moms face between career and home. "Surrendering to Motherhood" is an affirmation for at-home moms struggling with their decision to stay home with their children. It is also a wake up call for career women who have chosen the workplace. It is a reminder that children grow up too quickly, and that it is up to us to capture and savor these precious years. Most rewarding for me were memories Krasnow shares from past interviews with celebrities and politicians, and descriptions of day to day interactions with her own children. There is much pressure on women today to "have it all". Krasnow reminds us that in staying home with our children we do "have it all".

Be careful what you wish for. You may get it! After 24 years in a BIG company doing BIG jobs (yes, I'm old too), I resigned to become a full time mother of two toddlers. I got what I had dreamed of for so many years. And then the real work began. Leave behind money, power, travel, excitement and career? For diapers, sleeplessness, laundry, tantrums? You must be kidding! Why would any sane woman do that? Why? Because being a mother can be the most wonderful and most challenging job of your life. Krasnow articulates with humor and love what motherhood in the Nineties entails. Most importantly, she has captured why we have made those incredible choices. To walk away from the known world of career to the unknown world of motherhood takes courage and strength. Krasnow has both.