Motherhood: The Greatest Joy

There has been no greater joy, and experience, than raising my children. One reason I eagerly await to share this story is because it wasn't what I'd been promised... missing out on enjoying my youth, and freedom, and how I wouldn't get a good education. My experience turned out to be quite the contrary of this promise. Yes, there were a few tug-o-wars in there, some days being better than others, but honest-to-goodness there has been no greater enjoyment (in my life) than growing up with my two best friends.

None-the-less, I’ve been since precluded from sharing any more stories about our experience. But perhaps, just maybe one day (smile), I’ll write that non-fiction book that might compliment books such as The Price of Motherhood by Ann Crittenden. I really believe that some of the ideologies of parenting and raising families have gone just a little too far to the right, often giving parenting the illusion of being an undermined chore, when in fact it is not only the most important charge in the world, but the greatest joy in the world.

So rather than spell out my personal anecdotes on the thrills of parenting, I’ll instead share books written by other authors on the subject that I highly recommend.

FIRST, Check out Silver & Grace. There you will find a wealth of reading on both motherhood and womanhood. Plus, my contribution; Two Peas In A Pod: A Mother and Daughter Story

For truly funny and fun, and educational books on parenting and raising families, these are strongly recommended must reads!

Crawling: A Father's First Year by Elisha Cooper

The kitchen sink papers: My life as a househusband by Mike McGrady

When We Were Colored: A Mother's Story by Eva Rutland

Funny in Farsi: Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas

The Life and Laughs of an At-Home Mom: A Humorous Look at the Daily Joys of a Wife and Mom by Chris Liefer

For wonderful well-crafted humbling stories on parenting and family, these are among my favorites...

Family Matters and More: Stories of My Life in Soviet Russia by Sol Tetelbaum

Who Do You Think You Are?: A Memoir by Alyse Myers

The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of... by Jeannie Ralston

The Black Girl Next Door: A Memoir by Jennifer Lynn Baszile

Pieces from Life's Crazy Quilt (American Lives) by Marvin V. Arnett

Stealing Buddhas Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen

Perfume Dreams by Andrew Lam

Also, just as well-crafted and humbling, albeit with a serious caveat, I rank these familial accounts at the top of my reading interest...

All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald

Life on the Color Line: True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black by Gregory Howard Williams

Hope's Boy: A Memoir by Andrew Bridge

Chinese Cinderella: True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

I'm Down: A Memoir by Mishna Wolff

Project Girl by Janet McDonald

On a fictional note I also enjoyed...

Miss Muriel and Other Stories by Ann Lane Petry and Daughters of the River Huong by Uyen Nicole Duong

Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair & He Loves Me He Loves Me Not! by Tracy L. Darity, written by debut authors, are lengthy, but both convey interesting familial stories inside pleasant enjoyable themes.

Painted Picture by Sheila Peele-Miller honestly is my favorite among the fictional ‘realistic’ relationship reads. Well, that’s alongside my own series ‘the Rhapsody Series’, which the first in the series, Leiatra’s Rhapsody, like Asleep and He Loves Me, He Loves me not, as well is a little lengthy. Even so, these are my recommended reads that honors the occasion!

Beep! Beep! There is ONE & only ONE overriding ubiquitous feature to all of my recommended reads. Wonder if anyone will find what that feature is.

Happy Mother’s Day!