Desperate Giveaway

Are you desperate?

No, not as in a desperate housewife.

I mean do you ever feel in your mothering that you are in a desperate place?

Exhausting round-the-clock babies.

Trying toddlers.

Physically draining school-aged kids.

Emotionally draining teens.

My friends Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae are releasing their new book today entitled Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breath. Here is what I said in my endorsement of it:

“Motherhood is an emotional roller coaster ride. One moment finds you blessed and proud; the next leaves you stressed and drained. The ups and downs wreak havoc on your heart, often knocking the wind right out of your maternal sails. Desperate is a moms manual for what to do–and what not to do–when you feel the ride is just too scary and you don’t know how you’ll ever hold on. Sarah’s honest questions and Sally’s seasoned advice, laced with biblical insight and hopeful encouragement, will enable mothers of all ages and stages to find strength amidst the struggles, calm with every climb and peace in every plunge.”


If you’d like to know more about this fabulous book (and some cool freebies they are offering) I’ve included links below.

They are also hosting a Twitter party tonight at 9 pm EST. Be sure to check out this wonderfully honest mentoring book for moms.

Sally’s site

Sarah’s site

 Desperatemom.com

MY GIVEAWAY: Two of you who comment on this post will win a copy of Desperate. Just tell us this:

What part of mothering leaves you most desperate?

For me? Watching my kids make bad choices sometimes and then suffer the fallout. It seems it would be easier to over-control them and yet, I know they need to learn hard lessons for themselves.

How about you? What makes you a desperate mom sometimes?

200 Comments

  1. I think the thing that leaves me feeling the most desperate is the lack of time for myself. I need time to just be alone and be me and with a toddler that is hard to get!

    1. Amy,
      When my eldest daughter was a toddler, I had to take her out of her crib because she was climbing out of it and putting her in a toddler bed that did not confine her drove me insane, almost. (she walked at 6.5 months and so maybe she was a baby not a toddler) So I put a lock on the door, from the outside, and sat at the door for hours, in the beginning. I sat there and tried to console her back to bed,sometimes reading her books, most of the time praying, but with the door between us. It didn’t take long and I did only let her crying go on for five minutes before I went in, each time, to hug her back to bed.

      One time, when I had many children at home, even doing respite (sp?) care of other challenging children so other mother’s could have a break, someone at church found me hiding in my pantry in tears. She tried to call and get me some time with other mother’;s to help me and was told I needed to be taught differently and I didn’t need the help.

      I was so upset.

      But, a few weeks later, I called that sister back and asked her to visit. She taught me many wonderful things. She said find some soft music that comforted me, find a couple of inspiring books, and make time for me, even if the house wasn’t perfect. I didn’t think I could do it. But I tried and my little book nook chair became my solace after the children were sound asleep.

      Instead of doing the laundry one night, I read instead. I had sorted the laundry on the kitchen floor for the next day and that night the neighbor (conjoined) had a washing machine hose break and flooded both of our houses. My laundry worked like a dam, preventing my whole house, like hers, from all the damage. I felt so blessed for my training and felt that I could know who to leave the burdens to.. The Master. Good luck :)

  2. I feel desperate trying to be involved and talk to my teenagers but they say I am getting on their nerves talking and asking questions. Then you add in their attitude and hormones and you find a desperate mom

  3. Being a mom can be very draining at times. I’m eager to check out this book! Even better if I would win one (that would probably make it more likely too…)!

  4. Karen – I can’t imagine a mom who would not benefit from a read like this! For me my greatest mom challenge is helping my son heal wounds suffered at the hands of someone who was supposed to love him – there is no go to guide for this kind of hurt, but thankfully we serve a go to God and His grace is sufficient!!

  5. What leaves me feeling desperate is wishing I had done more to guide them in their Christian walk and give them a better example of Christ. Also, the challenge of raising teenagers. I have 3 of them, all going through something completely different and not knowing how to deal with each one of their needs.

  6. That ol’ desperate feeling often comes when I think we’ve made a breakthrough with a character issue in one of our children just to see the flesh rear its ugly head in an even more dramatic fashion. I must depend on the Holy Spirit to do His work (in them and in me).

  7. What leaves me feeling desperate is when my 11yr daughter has melt downs like when she was 5! We know she understands that it’s not okay. There are times I feel like pulling my hair out! She can be such a loving and caring girl and then moments later, she’s being mean to her sisters and talking “sassy” to me. We’ve prayed for her and with her. We’ve shared scripture with her and she tries really hard to control it. We will not give up on her…

  8. I have felt ‘Desperate’ many many times while I was a single Mom. Now that my girls are both grown with families of their own…I still feel that at times. I have tried many times to try to help them avoid heartache and I end up being the ‘bad guy’. I have since learned to just let go and let God handle …what was not mine to begin with! I cannot wait to read this book!!!

  9. I feel the most desperate when I am constantly disciplining my teens when they have been told before, they know and are testing, and continually nagging me to change my mind. grrrrr. Thats when I get envious of my neighbors who have dogs for kids.

  10. I am most desperate during times when my children behave in not so loving ways. At times the fear of their unmoving actions bring me to tears. I believe this is God’s way of bring my to pay for them alot and often.

  11. When I feel my attention is divided between my kids and all my other responsibilities I begin to feel desperate and see the need to refocus. Life can get so hectic!

  12. What makes me desperate is the constant driving of life – get up & ready for school, work demands, home from school, dinner, bath, bed, bills, exercise, time with the Lord, time with my husband, time with my family. My husband works long days for us, which leaves me with carrying the responsibilities on the home front. It’s hard and I get tired and desperate.

  13. Would love to win a copy of this book! I feel desperate for some personal space and time with 3 small ones. Thankfully over Christmas break my dear husband let me have some quiet time at the library and he helped out a lot here at home. It really does help to have some time to be refreshed it is just hard to get that on a regular basis! Now he is back to work and I am back to reality!

  14. My husband went back to school to become an RN while my children were young. I had to work to help put him through school and try to keep everything else afloat so he could concentrate on his schooling. Consequently, I went into survival mode and know that I was not as consistent or even as present as I wanted to be w/my kids. Now I feel desperate because I feel like I missed my chance and I’ve messed up my kids. I know that’s it’s not too late, but feel overwhelmed as we are entering the teen years.

  15. I feel desperate when my oldest daughter makes poor choices and then alienates me. She views me as her worst enemy rather than her greatest cheerleader.

  16. I feel most desperate while trying to raise my daughter with Christ as her foundation and struggling to work with a chronic illness of the brain. It can be challeging because she is watching me walk out my faith in Christ. Trusting in him

    In His Hands,

  17. This sounds perfect for where I am right now! I am a mom to 4 and foster mom to 2. I’ve been a SAHM for just over a year, sometimes I’m not sure I can make it through the day. I feel like I’m where God wants me to be, but doubt creeps in when I’m feeling so overwhelmed!

  18. My girls are grown now and have children of their own….I feel desparate when I see them making some of the same mistakes I made as a Mom.

  19. Not being able to protect them from being hurt by others. I feel helpless when they get hurt. Kids can be so mean.

  20. My most desperate moments come when I lose it and feel like a failure or that I am the only one who ever yells at her children. I want to be a parent who is an example of Christ always to my children.

  21. My desperation is when I just can’t seem to get my kids to stop fighting/arguing with each other. The more I try the more frustrated I become and then we are all arguing. It’s becoming a nightmare just to wake up and I dread what each day will hold. I could handle it if it was the odd disagreement here or there but not an ongoing battle every day.

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