Have you ever compared your parenting style with the mom next door and wondered if you were doing it all wrong?

Do some parenting responsibilities sap you of your strength while others reinvigorate you? Do you seem to clash with one of your children and not the others?

Every child is unique, but most parenting books neglect the fact that mothers are, too.

MotherStyles focuses primarily on you as mother and helps you understand, develop, and trust the strengths of your unique mothering style. Based on the idea that good mothers come in many styles, MotherStyles helps you break through the myth of the perfect mother and equips you with the self-knowledge you need to become a more effective Drawing on the Myers-Briggs® system of personality type, popular in career counseling and team building, MotherStyles explains the innate mind-sets that make up 16 distinct mothering approaches.

Using a self-administered quiz, you'll identify your parenting personality type and better understand your own strengths, struggles and needs.  Then you'll learn how to use that information day-to-day to gain confidence, manage stress, and strengthen family relationships. From the “How To” Mother to the “Action Adventure” Mother to the “Tender Loving Care” Mother, you'll discover your mothering style and understand why you and your spouse may parent differently. In fact, you may end up thinking about parenting in a whole new way. An antidote to the daily stress that comes from trying to be all things to all people, MotherStyles will help you recharge your mothering batteries, enrich parent-child interactions and find success in this most important of roles!

You’ll learn:

• Trust your innate strengths and gain confidence in your own natural, unique approach to mothering.
• Be more realistic and accepting of your struggles (we all have them).
• Undo stress and guilt about not measuring up to the stereotypes of a “good mother.”
• Learn how to re-charge and guard your energy using your unique personality as a guide.
• Understand and minimize conflicts with a child or spouse who is different.
• Strengthen parent-child and co-parenting relationships.
• Optimize the work/family balance for your individual needs.
• Foster acceptance and appreciation of differences … within your current family, your family of origin, among other mothers, and in our society.

Book Contents:

Introduction: Breaking Through the Myth of the Ideal Mother
PART 1: Discover and Embrace Your Unique Mothering Style
Chapter 1 Your Unique Style
Chapter 2 Plug into Your Personal Energy Source
Chapter 3 Information, Please!
Chapter 4 Decisions, Decisions
Chapter 5 Lifestyles of the Planned and Flexible
Chapter 6&7 Mothers of Many Styles
PART 2: Dynamics of Family Interaction
Chapter 8 Getting Started Using Type Day-to-Day
Chapter 9 What about Dads?
Chapter 10 Playing to Your Child’s Strengths
Chapter 11 Using Type to Make Sense of Parent and Child Interactions
Chapter 12 It’s a Family Affair

PART 3: Putting It All Together for You
Chapter 13 How to Recharge Your Batteries
Chapter 14 Balancing Family with Outside Commitments
Chapter 15 Becoming Your Best You

 

Janet P. Penley has been conducting parenting workshops for mother groups, therapists, life coaches and corporations for more than eighteen years. The mother of two grown children, she lives in San Antonio, Texas. Diane Eble is a professional writer and writing coach, mother of two children and the author of ten books. She lives outside of Chicago.