Faith Bogdan - Who Are All These Children and Why Are They Calling Me Mom?: Embracing the Joyful Mess of Motherhood

Mamas, you need this book! Whether you have one child or a whole crazy tribe, I guarantee that you will laugh out loud, cry, relate, and wish you lived next door to Faith. Who AreAll These Children and Why Are They Calling Me Mom? will encourage and inspire you and remind you that you are not alone! It doesnt sugarcoat what it means to be a mom, and Faith shares her journey in a humorous but gut-wrenchingly honest way. Most importantly she reveals motherhood for what it really is, not glamorous but ultimately glorious!

KATE BATTISTELLI
Author of Growing Great Kids and mom of contemporary
Christian recording artist Francesca Battistelli

The moms who need this book the most are the moms who feel too busy to read it. However, fifteen minutes of reading each day may save you a lifetime of regrets. I highly recommend it.

GARY CHAPMAN
Author of The Five Love Languages

This book is a full-course meal for moms! Its meaty, balanced, and nourishing to the soul. Faith writes with a fresh, fun style that had me hooked from page one.

VIRELLE KIDDER
Conference speaker, CWG mentor,
and author of Meet Me at the Well

With grace, empathy, and laugh-out-loud humor, Faith Bogdan shares her parenting journeyshowing me that my own unplanned (but much delighted-in) pregnancies may not have been part of my plan for life, but they were always part of Gods. With candid reflections, hilarious anecdotes, and a warm style that made me feel like I was sitting at a table sipping a latte and chatting with a best friend, Bogdan invited me into her life storyand in doing so, helped me to reflect on my own.

If youre feeling overwhelmed, alone, guilty, stressed, or like your parenting path is heading in a completely different direction than you had mapped out, this is the book for you. Youll leave feeling refreshed, energized, and with the realization that Gods plan for your life is perfecteven if its not what you had in mind.

ERIN MACPHERSON
Author of The Christian Mamas Guide
to Having a Baby

I have two daughters with young children. The second Who Are All These Children and Why Are They Calling MeMom? is released, I am taking the book to their homes and sitting there while they read the introduction. I will be able to leave after that because this book is a page-turner, and they will not put it down. Thank you, Faith Bogdan. This book is honest, hilarious, heart-wrenching, and filled with hope. A must-read for any mom. Im a man! I finished the book! Need I say more?

KEN DAVIS
Author of Fully Alive: A Journey
That Will Change Your Life

We so want to be the best moms we can be for our children, but sometimes we lose hope. Faiths honest telling of her journey shows those of us in the trenches how to engage not battlewith our children and with this season of our lives.

NAOMI CRAMER OVERTON
USA advocacy director, Compassion International
Past president, MOPS International

MOST CHARISMA HOUSE BOOK GROUP products are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational needs. For details, write Charisma House Book Group, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, or telephone (407) 333-0600.

WHO ARE ALL THESE CHILDREN AND WHY ARE THEY
CALLING ME MOM? by Faith Bogdan
Published by Charisma House
Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group
600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746
www.charismahouse.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ASV are from the American Standard Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked BBE are from the Bible in Basic English. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked DARBY are from the Darby Translation of the Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ISV are taken from the Holy Bible: International Standard Version. Copyright 19962012 by The ISV Foundation. All rights reserved internationally. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked NAS are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked THE MESSAGE are from TheMessage: The Bible in Contemporary English, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2013 by Faith Bogdan
All rights reserved

Cover design by Nancy Panaccione
Design Director: Bill Johnson

AUTHORS NOTE: Some names, places, and identifying details with regard to stories in this book have been changed to help protect the privacy of individuals.

Visit the authors website at www.faithbogdan.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Bogdan, Faith.
Who are all these children and why are they calling me mom? / Faith Bogdan.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-62136-028-5 (trade paper) -- ISBN 978-1-62136-029-2 (e-book)
1. Motherhood--Religious aspects--Christianity 2. Child rearing--Religious aspects--Christianity. 3. Parenting--Religious aspects--Christianity. 4. Mothers--Religious life. I. Title.
BV4529.18.B64 2013
248.8'431--dc23

2012051085

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication.

First edition

13 14 15 16 17 987654321
Printed in the United States of America

To my husband and best friend, Dave.

This book would not have been possible
without you. I mean, after all...

Contents

Introduction
IS IT JUST ME?

P SSTOVER HERE! Im hiding out in the laundry room, eating dark chocolate. Got a sec? Good. I was wondering, is it just me, or do you sometimes find it really hard to be a mom? Even after all the parenting books youve read, do you still fear that one more sibling squabble is going to send you running down the street like a madwoman? Do you dream of a candlelit bath in a tub that isnt brimming with slimy grow-in-water toys and all the towels you just washed? Do you miss date nights, hot mealsor just