Book Review: First-Time Mom

When I saw this book in the library, I just had to pick it up. As a first-time mother, I often feel that as soon as I get used to the phase of life that Addison is in then she begins to go through more changes. This may be easier for other moms to handle, but I struggle with change and often avoid change as much as possible.
Book Review: This book covers a large span of time (from birth to 1st grade), so I found myself skimming the sections that were about the first two years of your child's life as I have arleady passed that time. My favorite chapter; however, was about the birth order of the parent. I had NEVER thought about the effect of my birth order may have on the way I parent my own child.
I don't like to think that the order I was born in made a HUGE difference on who I am, but I did find some "middle child" insights here that made sense for me. "Middles tend to be the most mysterious-and closed- of all the birth orers, and they are likely to be mentally tough and very independent. While they embarrass easily, they also tend to be the most loyal." I found that description very true in my case.
Other interesting sections of the book talked about the "Ten Most Common Parenting Mistakes" and another section talked about "Caring for Your 'Other' Child".

In case you were wondering what Dr. Leman considers the top 10 parenting mistakes:

1. A critical eye
2. Overcommitment
3. Not enough Vitamin N (as in NO)
4. Lack of Vitamin E (as in Self-Esteem)
5. Getting Caught up in the Competition Game
6. Getting Overexcited
7. Overdiscipline
8. Underdiscipline
9. Letting Other People Raise Your Child
10. Allowing Your Child to Be the Center of the Universe

I enjoyed the little ancedotes that Dr. Leman gave and enjoyed the chapter on the relationship between husband and wife, making sure it is nurtured after you have a baby. Steve and I definitely had some bumps in the road as we became first-time parents, so it is nice to see that this issue is being discussed.

Buy or Borrow: I would borrow this book. It has great general insight to raising your first child and really it just allows a mother to feel comfort in knowing that others have felt the same way you feel (overwhelmed, uncertain at times, etc.). While it is a good book, I don't think you would have to pick it up off the shelf time and again for advice.