Stars: ****
I received this book from Multnomah Books and I wanted to review it for Mother’s Day but I didn’t get to finish it in time. I also read this book for the 888 Challenge.
Rattled is a Christian Parenting book for soon-to-be-moms and new-moms. I’m not Christian but I can’t say no to a parenting book so I wanted to take a look at this. Have survived two baby’s first years I feel I am qualified to determine if this book would be helpful to a new mom. Certainly, as a mom of 4, Trish Berg is qualified to write a book about parenting.
Although in general, I think non-fiction books would be better non-religious so as to appeal to a wider audience, I think Trish did an excellent job of making it Christian without sounding preachy. The Christian aspects are as follows: Bible verses at the beginning of each chapter, a closing prayer at the end of every chapter and a mom-sized devotional at the end of every chapter. I actually enjoyed reading some of the devotionals called SOS (Spiritual Opportunity to Savor) as they contained stories with great lessons.
I think what I like most about this book is that it’s not the same material as every other new mom book. Most books like this are full of information on what your child will be like at every month and specific ways to parent. Rattled focuses not only on your new child but also your marriage and yourself. Another great point is that it’s written like a friend talking to you, not like a textbook.
Let me give a list of Chapters to give you a better idea of what is covered in this book: The First Three Trimesters, The Fourth Trimester, Life With a Baby in the House, Getting to Know Your Husband All Over Again, The Unique Gift of Your Baby, Organizing Life Around Your Baby, Meeting Your Family’s Needs, Making Room for the In-Laws, Finding Humour in the Chaos, Becoming the Mom You Want to Be, Finding Fun in the Everyday, The Spiritual Life of a Mom, The Physical Life of a Mom, The Emotional Life of a Mom and three extras, Hope in the Nursery (miscarriage) and a Month-By-Month Guide (to development) and Resources for Surviving the First Year.
See what I mean? How many parenting books do you know that cover the in-laws, organizing your life and keeping your marriage intact? Most of the ones I have read don’t.
There were a few parts where upon first reading I started getting defensive and angry but upon re-reading the section I realized the information was helpful. For example:
“Make sex a priority in your marriage. If you haven’t quite worked up the enthusiasm to enjoy sex yet, close your eyes and enjoy it for your husband’s sake.” – pg. 68
My first thought upon reading this sentence was, “What!!!??? Have sex when you don’t feel like it just for your husband? No way!” However upon re-reading the section and thinking a bit more, I realized I already do that. At times when I haven’t felt in the mood in weeks, I do it anyway, just to please my husband. Why? It makes our relationship so much better. He’s less frustrated and feels more secure in our relationship and on the plus side for me, he stops bugging me! Men really do feel unloved when we don’t want sex.
Also one sentence may offend some single parents as it says kids need a mom and a dad. There are many beliefs on this sentence out there and I’m not here to start a discussion I just wanted to mention it so no one would be offended after reading the book on my recommendation.
So also as I’m sure you’ve figured out, while this is a Christian Parenting Book, Trish Berg isn’t afraid to talk about intimacy like some Christian books I’ve seen.
My only real complaint about the book is the first appendix, which has the common developmental milestones for each month. A lot of the time it says “Will be able to” instead of “May be able to” which I think is more correct because all babies are different. Those lists should always be used as a general guideline of what to expect, now of when to worry. For example under 5 Month Old it says is beginning to crawl. Well my kids started crawling at 7 and 8 months and some don’t ever crawl and some don’t start till 10 months or so. Very few start at 5 months.
Overall I do recommend the book to Christian pregnant and new moms.
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