4a.m. Madonnas
Meditations and Reflections for Mothers and Mothers-to-be
by Rachel Barton
Paperback
Price: £9.99
Publisher:SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge)
Published:19 April 2007
ISBN:978-0-281-05847-1
GoodBookStall Review:
Another strange title, you are thinking, and the picture on the cover is rather strange too: the Virgin Mary, in her traditional blue, is looking absolutely exhausted; a clock in the background tells us it’s 4 in the morning, but little Jesus, in striped babygro, is looking bright-eyed and evidently isn’t going to sleep any time soon. Yes, it’s a book for mothers with young children. I liked this description of a first-time mum: New dad arrives home when you are at your worst: You feel he never sees you any other way: He listens to you patiently (patronizingly?, you wonder), then enjoys a fun half-hour with the baby while you scramble together a meal. The baby cries less with him. This makes you cry and you start to wonder how you’ve turned into this paranoid, neurotic, ungrateful drudge whom no one can possibly want to live with. Traditionally, as Rachel Barton points out, raising babies has been a community affair, and today’s is possibly the first generation of women who find themselves alone all day with their children. So this is a book which, while celebrating the joys of motherhood, recognises that it can be a struggle. Having a young baby makes you think more about the future and the wonder of life, and your faith may deepen, but it also makes it more difficult to get to church. So here are meditation and relaxation techniques, suggestions for things to think about, music to play, all in aid of exploring the spiritual and emotional side of motherhood in your own home, whenever you get the chance – even at 4 a.m.!
Reviewer: David Ivall (14/07/07)
Another strange title, you are thinking, and the picture on the cover is rather strange too: the Virgin Mary, in her traditional blue, is looking absolutely exhausted; a clock in the background tells us it’s 4 in the morning, but little Jesus, in striped babygro, is looking bright-eyed and evidently isn’t going to sleep any time soon. Yes, it’s a book for mothers with young children. I liked this description of a first-time mum: New dad arrives home when you are at your worst: You feel he never sees you any other way: He listens to you patiently (patronizingly?, you wonder), then enjoys a fun half-hour with the baby while you scramble together a meal. The baby cries less with him. This makes you cry and you start to wonder how you’ve turned into this paranoid, neurotic, ungrateful drudge whom no one can possibly want to live with. Traditionally, as Rachel Barton points out, raising babies has been a community affair, and today’s is possibly the first generation of women who find themselves alone all day with their children. So this is a book which, while celebrating the joys of motherhood, recognises that it can be a struggle. Having a young baby makes you think more about the future and the wonder of life, and your faith may deepen, but it also makes it more difficult to get to church. So here are meditation and relaxation techniques, suggestions for things to think about, music to play, all in aid of exploring the spiritual and emotional side of motherhood in your own home, whenever you get the chance – even at 4 a.m.!
Reviewer: David Ivall (14/07/07)
