I Am a Mother
by Jane Clayson Johnson
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Read in May, 2008
I am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson, former co-anchor of the Early Show on CBS , is an inspiring little book about what it means to be a mother and how we as women can and should support each other.
The book is peppered with quotes from everyone from leaders of the LDS Church to Oprah and Anna Quindlen. Johnson also shares many personal stories about her life before and after she became a mother. The central message of the book is one of support and understanding for mothers every where and i...more
The book is peppered with quotes from everyone from leaders of the LDS Church to Oprah and Anna Quindlen. Johnson also shares many personal stories about her life before and after she became a mother. The central message of the book is one of support and understanding for mothers every where and i...more
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Read in December, 2007
"More than sixty years ago, the first presidency said it all when they called motherhood "...the highest, holiest service... assumed by mankind." ~Sheri Dew
"Through her mothering, a woman is the consumate leader of leaders."
"Mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life." ~Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"I believe the choice to become a mother is ...more
"Through her mothering, a woman is the consumate leader of leaders."
"Mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life." ~Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"I believe the choice to become a mother is ...more
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Read in August, 2008
How appropriate that I finished this book at about 2:30 a.m. this morning-- not because I just couldn’t stop turning the pages, but because my body was rebelling—refusing to let sleep return after waking up over and over and over with a screaming toddler. Ahhhhh… the uphill marathon that is motherhood! Shamefully, I must admit that I rolled my eyes and turned up my nose when this book came out last year. I had heard of the famous Jane Clayson and knew she had only been a mother for a ve...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Janeal by:
My sistersrecommends it for: Every Mormon mother, even if you think it won't apply to you
A good read for every Mormon mother. I was hesitant to read a"church" book on motherhood because I was afraid it would talk about how being a mother is wonderful and fulfilling all the time. Thankfully, it did the opposite of what I feared. Jane Clayson uses lots of quotes from general authorities and others, even women outside the church, to help us understand the importance of mothers. Instead of making me feel guilty it made me want to stand up and say, "that's right! I'm a...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
As a mother who came from being a 'career woman,' it is sometimes a rough transition for me to go from savvy working-woman to mother of 3 with spit-up in my hair and carrots slashed down my shirt. Don't even get me started on the days when my husband comes home from work and I find myself saying 'oh, you cutsie-wootsie wittle boy...we soo gwad daddy came home!' <baby talk> It's just nice to have a grown-up conversation once in a while and know that not everything I'm doing as mother is i...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Angela by:
Michellerecommends it for: SueAnn, Jenn, Jen, Shanelle, Michelle S. ,Monica, Stacy, Kirsten, GIanna, Melissa
I must admit that when I saw my sister reading this book, I thought there is a book I don't have time for. Likely another sappy, feel guilty book on motherhood that I don't want to spare time for. After hearing my sister tell about it I started to read it. Super fast read and one that I wanted to finish and made the time for. What a wonderful reminder of what this job really is. Jane Clayson is smooth in her delivery, thoughtful at every turn-- I am so impressed with her and what she had to...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Mothers
This book was okay. I appreciate Jane's efforts here and it's obvious she feels strongly about motherhood, but it wasn't a smooth read. It was a bit choppy the way it was put together. She repeated thoughts a few times and seemed like it could have gone through a little more fine-tuning before printing. I did enjoy the chapter on walking in each other’s shoes. I agree that we as women could be less critical and judgmental myself included. I got teary reading a couple of her stories. Her...more
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Read in June, 2008
This isn't the most elegantly written book I've ever come across, but I think it's a must-read for mothers and women in general. I'm sure men could learn from it too.
Jane Clayson tells a mean story, and she has led quite an interesting life. She recalls incidents from college, career, and from the lives of others that illustrate motherhood in a very ennobling light. I think it took some guts for her to write this book. She talks about the reactions of her colleagues when she decided to leave ...more
Jane Clayson tells a mean story, and she has led quite an interesting life. She recalls incidents from college, career, and from the lives of others that illustrate motherhood in a very ennobling light. I think it took some guts for her to write this book. She talks about the reactions of her colleagues when she decided to leave ...more
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Jane Clayson Johnson has written a beautiful book whose sole purpose is to show you that motherhood is a wonderful thing and not something to be ashamed about. Having been a career woman/working mother, I can understand how she felt when people criticized her for choosing to stay at home with her children. I was blessed to not run into that sentiment very often, but it is real, nevertheless.
Jane share personal anecdotes and vignettes about her life and how she had always planned for marria...more
Jane share personal anecdotes and vignettes about her life and how she had always planned for marria...more
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I love the topic, of course. The quotes she used in the book were awesome. But that was part of the problem- the book is mostly a collection of quotes. I liked hearing a bit of her biography and how she got to what she is now. I liked hearing that her kids also throw up and make messes and all the rest. And I of course am in awe and admiration that she decided to be a stay home mom instead of a national news anchor. But there was a tiny twinge of "poor me" that I didn't like. I ...more
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Read in November, 2007
This book is so life changing! I have been so inspired by the knowledge that motherhood is the ultimate goal and I should do everything in my power to be the best mother I can. And I should appreciate being a mother and what that means in my life right now. I don't need to be anything more or less. I just need to be a mother to my kids right now, because that is all that truly matters in my life right now. After my kids move out, I can focus my life on other things, but what percent of my l...more
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Read in July, 2008
An excellent, inspiring book!
"If you can control your behavior when everything around you is out of control, you can model for your children a valuable lesson in patience and understanding...and snatch an opportunity to shape character." pg. 81
N. Eldon Tanner said, "A mother has far greater influence on her children than anyone else has, and shemust realize that every word she speaks, every act, every response, her attitude, even her appearance and manner of dress, affect ...more
"If you can control your behavior when everything around you is out of control, you can model for your children a valuable lesson in patience and understanding...and snatch an opportunity to shape character." pg. 81
N. Eldon Tanner said, "A mother has far greater influence on her children than anyone else has, and shemust realize that every word she speaks, every act, every response, her attitude, even her appearance and manner of dress, affect ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Hannah by:
Wendyrecommends it for: Mom's who don't find value/purpose in their roles.
This book was a little too cheesy for me. I felt like over half of it was quotes by other people, and I just don't like books like that for the most part.
I felt like she kept referring to her great job and how luxurious it was, and the sacrifice she made to become a mom and give up the wardrobe and make-up stylists. I mean surely if she could give up her glamorous lifestyle and find meaning in motherhood, than any woman can! I just couldn't relate, I didn't need to give up a fancy job to fee...more
I felt like she kept referring to her great job and how luxurious it was, and the sacrifice she made to become a mom and give up the wardrobe and make-up stylists. I mean surely if she could give up her glamorous lifestyle and find meaning in motherhood, than any woman can! I just couldn't relate, I didn't need to give up a fancy job to fee...more
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I so appreciated hearing a defense of motherhood from an educated, successful woman. I have found myself in countless situations trying to explain my choice to set aside my career plans to be a full time mother and finding myself at a loss for words. The author helped me define that my career is motherhood - the raising of souls and profound development of character of another human being, not a maid, chauffeur or babysitter. I realized that molding lives is the most profound work of mankind ...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
Women
This was a great book. The main message of the book is that being a mother is a wonderful thing...not something to apologize for. She also shows the potential women have to achieve great things without compromising their standards. I read this at a time when I found it hard to tell people i was "just a mom". Reading this book reminded me i'm never "just" a mom. Being a mom isn't being an underachiever or letting life pass by. It's choosing to do a wonderful, fulfilling and no...more
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Read in April, 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me feel so proud to be a mother and uplifted. I don't know if it is just other things I have been thinking about, too, but after reading this book the main thing I got from it is that our kids are going to grow up so fast. I hope I can take time to just enjoy them a little more and not get so worked up about things. I think before we know it, they will be all grown up and we might wish we took some time to enjoy them a little more. But now, how to...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Mothers in need of a little inspiration
At first I thought I didn't like the direction this book was taking, but I kept reading because of the handwritten accolades inside the front cover. As it turned out, there were some later chapters I really enjoyed, particularly one entitled "Walking in Each Other's Shoes." I really appreciated her sensitivity on the subject of women doing life their way. The book is full of quotes from other authors and General Authorities, and sometimes reads like an Ensign article. As the ti...more
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This book is a non-fiction book about being a mother. I loved this book. The author had a career in broadcasting including co-host on The Early Show, CBS evening new, and 48 hours, She traveled to many countries on special assignments, but quit doing if full-time when she became a mother. She talks about motherhood, and what we say when someone asks "what do you do?" Instead of saying I just stay at home with my kids, proudly say " I am a mother!" Because it is a hard jo...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in October, 2007
Jane Clayson Johnson did a wonderful job at making the reader feel the importance and magnitude of the role of mothers without being sappy or cliche. I loved this book. I appreciated the point of view of a woman who has had a successful career, and still shares the unique (and possibly peculiar, by the world's standards) view of the sacred nature of womanhood. Reading this book, I felt truly honored and blessed to be a woman and a mother. It helped me realize that motherhood is so much more ...more
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recommends it for:
mothers and women everywhere
My mom gave me this fabulous book for Mother's Day. I was giving a sacrament talk on Mother's Day so she gave it to me early so I could use it as a resource. I wish I could have given every woman a copy of this book and then spent the 10-15 minutes just reading and it would have been great. I love hearing about how others people deal with the good and bad things that come in their lives; I feel I can have a wider swath of experience and wisdom to draw on than my own narrow band of knowledge. ...more
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.27 (1007 ratings) number of reviews: 416popular shelves
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quote
"If you can control your behavior when everything around you is out of control, you can model for your children a valuable lesson in patience and understanding...and snatch an opportunity to shape character."
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