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The 20 Hardest Questions Every Mom Faces by Dannah Gresh, is a must-read for moms. I follow Dannah on Facebook and was interested when a few months back, she took a poll amongst her followers asking them about the hardest questions mom face. Dannah received hundreds of responses and used the most commonly asked questions as the premise for her book. The questions address issues ranging from sleepovers to schooling and are most applicable for moms with children 16 and under. I didn’t necessarily agree with every single thing Dannah includes in her book but I appreciated the broad overview of what moms deal with on a daily basis. I enjoyed reading The 20 Hardest Questions Every Mom Faces because it helped me realize that I’m not the only mom asking certain questions and seeking wisdom in certain areas. Dannah’s book also gave me insight as to how I can use Biblical wisdom to help my daughter process through certain issues as she grows older.
While overall, this book was helpful, I had one very minor concern that I want to shed light on because I feel that not mentioning it would be neglecting to write an honest review. I noticed as I read the book that Dannah used a plethora of Bible verses which I am all for. However, she used multiple translations of Scripture which may not bother some, but is a concern to me. One of the Bible “translations” that Dannah used is The Message which I don’t recommend for the reasons mentioned here (I do know many solid believers who reference The Message and aren’t opposed to using it however, I believe that learning Scripture as it was originally written is the best way to understand it – two versions I know of that do this well are the ESV and NASB).
One aspect of The 20 Hardest Questions Every Mom Faces that I found extremely helpful, is Dannah’s chapter on vaccines. I know this is a hot button issue in this day and age and I didn’t really understand why until my daughter was born and I researched the vaccine debate for myself. I appreciate that Dannah was willing to step into a dangerous battleground in the Mommy Wars. I’m grateful that Dannah rightfully points out that this is a wisdom issues (i.e. the Bible doesn’t explicitly say whether we should vaccinate or not) .
As a mom, I value my daughter’s life and I will do whatever I can to protect her but I believe what moms desperately need is to know that they can trust God with every area of their child’s life and I was encouraged to find this sentiment present in the chapter as Dannah explained that she and her husband decided to trust God and teach their daughter abstinence rather than administering her the Gardasil vaccine.
The trend of the Helicopter Mom is increasing and I have, unfortunately, witnessed this amongst women in the church, and even in my own heart at times. Verbally, we claim to trust God, yet we consider every worst case scenario possible that could happen to our babies and put protections in place to ensure that those things don’t happen. Rather than encouraging our children to take even the smallest risk, hoping that one day they will take risks for the Gospel, we enable them to live safe, comfortable lives making ourselves their hope rather than God.
Overall, I really enjoyed Dannah’s book because it addressed issues I have faced in motherhood and initiated thoughts toward what I will encounter as my daughter grows older. Being a mom herself, Dannah understands how difficult it is in this day and age to raise children who fear and love God and cherish His Word and I appreciate her Biblical wisdom accompanied by her experiential insight.
I received The 20 Hardest Questions Every Mom Faces compliments of Harvest House in exchange for my honest review.
Hi friend. I llke your blog and would like to post it. However, I DID NOT GIVE MY DAUGHTER THE GARDISIL VACCINE! I chose not to. It seems that you were led to believe that I did administer it. Could we clear that up and then I’ll post t his wonderful blog to for my followers on social media.
Dannah, I am humbled that you would take the time to read my review and desire to share it amongst your social media followers. I apologize for posting the incorrect information. I just re-read that chapter of your book and realized that you and your husband decided to teach your daughter abstinence, which I fully support 100%, rather than having her receive the Gardasil vaccine. I re-read also about how tough it was for you to decide whether or not vaccinate her after she had already received so many vaccinations as a requirement for entering the country. As a mama, I can relate to this as my daughter entered the NICU an hour after being born and was returned the next day with an IV in her scalp. I appreciate that you understand what mamas have to go through and have addressed these issues through the lens of Scripture. Again, I apologize for my initial post, I misunderstood what I had read in the book. I will be working on updating my post with the correct information and will re-post it ASAP. Thanks again! In Christ, Lauren