Finding Your Inner Mama

Motherhood can be one of the most intense and transformative experiences of a woman's life. While many books explore the do's and don'ts of effective parenting, few offer guidance on navigating the tumultuous inner experience of being a mother, with all its joy, pain, change, and uncertainty. Finding Your Inner Mama explores the profound inward challenges and rewards of motherhood, from first giving birth to the empty nest. The editor--herself a mother of two sons--has chosen some of the most insightful writings about the emotional and spiritual landscape of motherhood--twenty-four essays in all--drawn from the best books, articles, and essays, as well as two original essays. The authors speak from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, each exploring a unique dimension of the journey of motherhood. Finding Your Inner Mama features writings by Poet and novelist Louise Erdrich, who captures the sheer wonder and awe of early motherhood. Ariel Gore--a self-described "hip-momma," fully in touch with today's youth culture--who reflects on the challenges of dealing with her own daughter's adolescent rebellion. Journalist Joan Peters, who highlights the rise of the "Power Mom" and the risks of overparenting to our children and to ourselves. Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt--husband and wife psychotherapists--explore why it is that our own childhoods so often come back to haunt us when we become parents ourselves. Zen teacher Cheri Huber offers a spiritual perspective: sometimes it's us parents who need a "time out"--time to get in touch with ourselves so we can be more fully present and loving with our children.