JacobsBeloved: Review: In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

Book Details:
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms
By Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Genre: Self-Help
Published 2009, HarperCollins
Hardback, 205 pages
ISBN: 9780061690267

Synopsis:

They number in the millions and they are incredibly important to families and to our society, yet they are underappreciated, little respected, and even controversial.
Who are they?
They are the stay-at-home moms.
These are women who know in their hearts that staying home to raise their children is the right choice for the whole family. Some do it from the outset of their marriages, while others make the difficult transition from career-driven women to homemakers. Either way, it is a choice that is incredibly rich and rewarding, not to mention challenging.
Now Dr. Laura, building on principles developed during her long career as a licensed marriage and family therapist, provides a wealth of advice and support, as well as compassion and inspiration, to women as they navigate the wonders and struggles of being stay-at-home moms.
Learn how:
to hold your head high and deal with naysayers;
to see the benefits of being home not only for your children but also for your marriage;
to understand the changes you see in yourself;
to realize that the sacrifices you endure now will make for lasting bonds and a stronger family, in addition to a more cohesive community.
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms is a special book, a profound and unique understanding of how important it is for mothers to raise their own children.

As a stay-at-home mom myself, partly by choice and partly by default, I didn't realize how much I needed the lift this book provided until I finished it. While SAHMs are gaining in support, thanks to the wonders of the internet, the effects of the feminist movement are hard to undo, and I still find myself feeling bad for not "running the hamster wheel."
This book is really about praising and uplifting SAHMs in every way, from giving advice on how to transition from working outside the home to becoming a SAHM, how to deal with naysayers, the impact of being a SAHM on the marriage, the children, and the woman herself, and the struggles that a SAHM goes through. Nearly every page features quotes from SAHMs who have contacted Dr. Laura with their opinions, experiences, questions, and wisdom, and these women all have unique living situations to fit any mother's lifestyle, even the ones who have been through a divorce because the husband does not support the idea of the woman becoming a SAHM. Dr. Laura dispels many notions and myths that run rampant about the type of woman that decides to be a SAHM, and what would make her choose such a lifestyle. Many of the women she quotes have college degrees or left great careers to become a SAHM. Others go on to degrees and careers once the children have grown and "fled the nest." Some of the best parts of the book were the stories that SAHMs related about the wonderful perks and unforgettable moments of being a SAHM, such as being able to cook healthy meals from scratch for their family and not missing all of those important milestones with their children.
This book helped me to change my perspective on my role in my family's life, as the heart of the home, to focus on the good things of what I have committed to, and to appreciate my husband and children, not as sandbags on my own personal improvement, but as buoys to lift me up and save me from my own destructive self-involvement.

The Cover: Not much to say about the cover - she sells her books better than just the content or title could do without her name or face.

First Line: "With appropriate apologies to Shakespeare, I come to praise at-home moms, not to bury full-time working moms."
So I don't understand the Shakespeare reference, even after reading the whole book. Otherwise, I like that she makes a point of stating the purpose of the book in the first sentence.

Favorite Quote: "High-fashion shoes and a business suit: $325
Cut, highlights, and manicure: $160
Fifty hours of day care a week: $400
Skipping it all to snuggle on the couch in PJs with your little ones: Priceless"