Releasing the Mother Load

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I’ve read similar variations of this topic, but this book completely nailed it. Often times when we think of a task, it can either be step wise or big picture. Regardless, there’s a lot of planning and motivation that goes into household management. This is an important and validating book for mothers and the societally influenced load they have to carry. (Both perceived and actual load). I appreciated this book though the topic was not new to me.

Such an important to book to read. Motherhood is such a beautiful, fulfilling yet exhausting role that we do. It was great to have some insights into coping strategies and thinking patterns,.

Loved this book! Motherhood can be such a lovely yet exhausting journey. Lots of tips and strategies. Makes you feel like you aren’t alone in this journey!

Thank you!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I follow the author on Instagram and really enjoy her content so I was eager to read her book. I am familiar with the concepts around the mental load and the "second shift" of motherhood, and I really appreciated how her book was organized. She breaks down her concept of the mother load - all of the mental labor involved being a caretaker, keeper of the house, magic and memory maker, etc. She also creates exercises for readers to help them determine their values, and describes how our own personal values should dictate our choices around parenting.

I did find at times that the book became a little repetitive, and the author references her own podcast continually which became tiresome.

However, as a mother of a teen and tween, I wish I would have had this book when my kids were babies. But I probably wouldn't have had time to read it. Perhaps this should be on every parent-to-be's reading list.

wowwwwwww!!!!! this books totally blew me away!!!! so well written! so engaging!!! i truly couldn't put this down!!!

Well researched and made me feel so seen. This is something I definitely plan on using with my clients who are mothers. I feel like this is something every mother could use when feeling overwhelmed and overlooked.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC - I struggle with how exactly to rate this book as I am coming strictly from a counseling perspective as I have not experienced motherhood. I did find parts of it to be repetitive but I do understand that it probably helps with the breakdown of each topic. I noticed the ACT centered approach taken and I appreciate the activities in the book and questions that moms can ask themselves when reflecting on certain beliefs :)

I truly loved reading the ARC for Releasing The Mother Load, and am planning on buying a physical copy to loan to whomever may benefit from it!

I got so many wonderful nuggets of wisdom from this book. If I would’ve read this as a brand new, first time mom I would have saved myself a lot of struggle and self-deprecation. Recognizing the often invisible labor that we do as mothers is truly revolutionary for reshaping the way we view our roles.

The defining of intensive mothering was so impactful for me, because I was finally able to make the connection that this is the belief I have held for my own motherhood journey. The author defines this as “the belief that motherhood must take everything we have, that we must focus on our children’s needs above our own, that our identities should be consumed by motherhood, that motherhood should fulfill us completely, and that only when we do those things can we become good mothers.”

I loved the way that the author reframed many common assumptions that we may make about our role in our homes and in our children’s lives.

I highlighted sooo many quotes throughout this book! Including some of my favorites below:

“If we want to release the Mother Load, we must conquer the idea that our worth as moms is measured in blood, sweat, and tears.”

“We think that our labor proves to our children that we love them, that we want everything for them. In reality, all it does is deplete us to the point where we can’t give them a true, fulfilled version of ourselves.”

“Motherhood is our most cherished and important role; it makes sense that we want a measuring stick that helps us evaluate how we are doing. But when this measuring stick is oriented to the wrong things — to perfectionist standards, to unrealistic expectations that society has set — whenever we look to it, we feel like we are failing or coming up short. It’s time to stop blaming ourselves and change the measuring stick.”

This was undoubtedly a 5-star read for me, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone who has found themselves in the throes of trying to balance motherhood, their personal identity, and their self-worth.

Thank you Sounds True and Erica Djossa for an ARC of this book.

This book shares important messages to mothers and delivers them with kindness and validation. It’s a gentle reminder that being a mum can be tough as well as very rewarding. I enjoyed the activities provided and all in all found it to be a valuable read.

This was a really eye-opening books. There was a lot of things I learned and realized how much we as mothers carry. I thought the author did a great job at easily explaining these things in technical terms but also through her own experiences. Overcoming a lot of the stress and load we carry as mothers is definitely not an easy fix or something that can be fixed with just reading this book but also consistently using the guidance and exercises in this book in our daily lives.