I just finished reading M Is For Mama by one of my favourite Christian influencers/authors, Abbie Halberstadt. Here is my M Is For Mama book review.
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If you are a mama and a Bible believing Christian, then I would encourage you to read M Is For Mama by Abbie Halberstadt. It was an easy read, very practical and inspiring.
I came across Abbie on Instagram one day, most likely through another Christian mama that I follow. I love what Abbie shares because she truly loves the Lord, lives what she preaches, is bold in her faith and yet, is very gracious.
Abbie has 10 children, so she is very experienced about parenting through different ages and stages. She is very honest about how she and her husband raise their children by the standards of the bible and not by contemporary culture.
So, if you are considering reading this book, and want to read an outsider’s opinion, here is my M Is For Mama book review.
What I will cover in M Is For Mama Book Review
- 9 reasons you should read M Is For Mama
- How the book has challenged my parenting
- How the book has challenged my faith
- Final thoughts
9 Reasons You Should Read M Is For Mama
- The book is based on biblical principles: Abbie does a wonderful job of pointing her own parenting principles to the Bible. Each chapter ends with a bible verse to ponder and meditate on.
- Parenting through different stages is a prevalent theme: Abbie as a mother of young adults down to toddlers, has a lot of life experience parenting through the stages and shares a lot of her wisdom parenting babies to young adults.
- Abbie talks about her weaknesses: I love how real Abbie is about her failures in parenting and marriage. She writes from a place of humility and desire to encourage other mamas to learn from her mistakes.
- The book is very practical: Abbie gives a lot of practical advice like the Gentleness Challenge and the Penny Reward System, as well as other great examples to learn from.
- The proof is in the pudding: It is one thing for a mother to talk about her successes and another to see that her children are following the Lord and showing examples (from afar) that they have been raised in a godly manner.
- Abbie talks about the importance of distinguishing between mediocre motherhood and biblical motherhood and how to live that out in a society that esteems mediocre motherhood.
- The book points to the Holy Spirit as our source of wisdom and guidance for all decisions we make as parents.
- Abbie’s balance between gracious humility and authoritative correction: she writes with such grace and kindness and also does not shy away from bringing conviction to the reader.
- Abbie does not act like she is superior given that she is a mama of 10 children: there is no patronizing in her words. She believes that all mothers, no matter how many children they have, are of value.
How The Book Has Challenged My Parenting
Abbie speaks about the importance of not playing the comparison game. One of her chapters is called ‘No Two Good Mamas Are Alike.’ I love how she talks about walking the narrow path in our mothering, which means that if we have a conviction to do something and we fail to do it, simply because we have succumbed to mediocre motherhood, then we are sinning.
For example, as a health-conscious woman, I don’t like giving my children too many snacks during the day, because I want them to be well nourished and have an appetite for proper meals. It would be mediocre of me to give in to social pressures when we are out and about to allow my children an unhealthy snack after they have had their quota of snacks that day. I know what helps my children to thrive, so snacking all day, even when we are out with friends, is not the way I want to raise them.
This may be a minor example, but this book has reminded me to hold to my convictions as a mother, even when culture does not value what I value.
Abbie’s Gentleness Challenge exposed me of my own inability to be gentle with my children most days. With the overwhelm of juggling homeschooling, home duties and running a small business, I have the tendency to be quick tempered and at times, unjust with my children. The Gentleness Challenge has challenged me to think before I speak, hold my tongue and let the Holy Spirit work on my heart to produce the fruit of gentleness in how I speak and act with my family.
How The Book Has Challenged My Faith
Before reading M Is For Mama, I listened to Abbie’s M Is For Mama podcast. Abbie has inspired me to live a life that is worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27) in everything I do and to crosscheck everything I do with the Bible as my lamp and guide.
I have also been challenged to know my Bible and be able to justify my actions as a believer with the backing of the Word of God. Abbie knows her Word and it has been inspiring to learn how she has cultivated a life as a Christian, wife and mother on the foundations of the Bible.
Final Thoughts on M Is For Mama Book Review
If you are ready to be encouraged to be a mama who goes against the grain of cultural mediocre motherhood and align your life with biblical motherhood, then this is a great book to read.
If you want to learn about how one mama with 10 children is able to raise those children in the ways of the Lord, then this is a great book to read.
If you want to learn how to introspect and learn some practical ways to parent biblically and with wisdom from the Holy Spirit, then this is a great book to read.
However, if you read this book with a closed heart, unwilling to be challenged in your parenting and in your faith, then I still encourage you to read this. The Holy Spirit can soften any heart, no matter how hard and unwilling. I pray that if you fall into this category, that you will be blessed by the words of this book.
If you have read this far, then you can probably tell that I am a big fan of this book and encourage any mama to read it!
You can purchase M Is For Mama here.
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