This Is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections + Practices

In the introduction to their debut collection of essays, Koziol and Tenety, cofounders of Motherly (Mother.ly)—a popular online community designed to encourage moms in their parenting journey—first-time motherhood is described as "beautiful beyond description, terrifying and lonely, and a powerful transformation that brings triumph, wonder, and awe." Throughout, various community members share their perspectives. Tanika White Davis writes how happiness can be found in accepting the need to redefine normal, Judie Harvey learned that coming up with a solution wasn't always her job as a mom, Anne-Marie Gambelin provides insights into a child's firsts being mom's lasts, and Tenety opens up about the reality of parenting being much different than what she'd ever imagined. Additional journaling questions provide readers the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences.