Disclosure: I received these books to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

I remember looking at my daughter when she was about two years old and thinking, “I cannot imagine ever raising my voice to this wonderful person. I will never say anything to hurt her.” She has a tender heart and a sweet spirit that makes people around her smile. Unfortunately my declaration did not last forever, because I surely have said things that hurt her, and definitely in a raised tone, much to my dismay.   Beyond that mommy guilt lies the consequences of my words. Watching my daughter cringe when she looks in the mirror makes me want to cry. When I hear her say something negative about her beautiful body, it’s like a nail driven through my heart.  Did I put those thoughts in her pretty head?  When I say things like, “Have you brushed your hair this morning?”  (knowing that she didn’t) does that make her feel like she’s less than beautiful?  It’s all in the delivery and I really stink at that part.  Parenthood comes with a distinct degree of expectation on both ends.  To teach our children right from wrong, we have to impart our own opinions to some extent.  Basically, we determine what is normal.  In essence, we help our children to find that sense of self that is so vital to success in life.

 Hopefully, we never leave our children thinking “I’m Nobody.” 

Author Alex Marestaing wrote this children’s novel that really explores the stigma behind childhood mental illness.  The main character, Caleb, suffers from agoraphobia as well as a host of other disorders.  He is essentially removed from society but doesn’t receive the help he needs.  That is, until Emily Dickinson intervenes.   I’m Nobody is a book that you could hand over to your tween and then have a great discussion about friendship, stress, and how to deal.  Family dynamics within the pages of this story are so dysfunctional yet so typical.  There were moments when my heart broke and then soared.  I rooted for Caleb the entire time; I’d love to see a sequel to find out what happened to him.  Now, the biggest issue I had with this book were the editing problems.  There was an utter lack of commas; it drove me batty as I had to reread sentences to figure out what was being said.  There were also some typos scattered throughout the story.  While it might be a minor issue for some, those small things really distracted me from the root of the story.  I’m Nobody would be a great introduction to the poetry of Emily Dickinson.  I admit that I found myself wanting to read more of her work after finishing this book.  While this story is completely fantastical, it’s a sweet read that will leave you with a smile.

While I considered the way that Caleb craved acceptance from his parents, it made me realize how much my own desires are projected upon my children.  In the book No More Perfect Kids: Love Your Kids for Who They Are, authors Jill Savage and Dr. Kathy Koch hone in on the ways we can build up our children rather than tearing them down. The whole idea is based on the concept that our kids are made perfect by God, not by parents.  What a huge relief!!  By allowing our children to be individuals, we are giving them the stocked toolbox for success in life.  We embrace their personal strengths, their funny quirks, and beautiful spirits.

I could absolutely relate to the scenarios described in this book and wholeheartedly subscribed to the concept of No More Perfect Kids.  Accompanied by that idea is the mantra “No More Perfect Moms.”  It’s true, many moms are guilty of putting themselves through the ringer for what we *think* we are supposed to be doing.  I’m definitely one to compare my house, body, and parenting style to my imagination’s perfect model. Being perfect is exhausting and I’ve never even done it! Let’s throw that out the window for a moment. By releasing myself from this responsibility to be perfect, I can be fully in the moment.  I can enjoy the fact that my son is blowing in my face right at this second.  I won’t be annoyed that he’s doing this while I’m frantically trying to get this posted; I will restrain myself from pushing him away yet again.  Instead I’ll stop and give him the attention he craves.  After all, if I can’t be a mom first, what am I?  Definitely not perfect.  And for once, maybe I’m good with that.