“In the middle of the messiness of momming, we need to embrace the mission of momming.”

Motherhood can be a struggle to all moms at some point. For some of us, it can be daily or even hourly. In The Better Mom, Ruth Schwenk explores how moms should search for grace to find a balance somewhere between perfection and a complete mess. The Better Momaims to encourage while sharing motherhood struggles and lessons learned from a Christian perspective.

I requested to review The Better Momthrough Handlebar, which sent me a free copy in exchange for a fair review. I had not heard of Ruth Schwenk before (her blog is TheBetterMom.com), but am always looking for books to encourage me on my journey as a wife, mother and Christian.

The Better Momis broken down into 19 chapters that deal with topics ranging from missing friends, finding time for yourself, worrying, failing, not feeling appreciated and wanting to make a difference. While she is fairly honest with some of her struggles, the lessons learned come quickly and seem fairly cookie-cutter Christian answers. The chapters seemed a little scattered and for some, it was hard to figure out what her main point was. It would have been nice to have questions to ponder and the end of the chapters to let the reader dig deeper and examine her own life. Also, among the Christian woman/motherhood books out there, there’s a new trend to be really honest with life struggles and the process of learning from them. This book doesn’t reach that far and I noticed it was missing and wished it had been there.

I would still recommend this to mothers looking for an easy read to inspire them, but there are also several other books out there that can help in the journey, too. Some that I would recommend are: In the Middle of the Mess by Shelia Walsh, The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst, The Gift from The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist.

What is the best motherhood book you’ve read? Share on the blog!

Buy the book here (affiliate link).