Sarah Bragg - A Mothers Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith, and Myself

I can confidently say Ive never read a book thats made me breathe easier than A Mothers Guide to Raising Herself. No matter how long youve resided in should land, stifled your voice, or abandoned your dreams, this compassionate guide offers real hope. Through unifying humor, relatable examples, and heartfelt honesty, Sarah Bragg shows us how to honor ourselves as we raise our kids. Let A Mothers Guide bring peace to your soul and more YOU to the brave story of your life.

Rachel Macy Stafford, New York Times bestselling
author, speaker, and special education teacher

Sarah Bragg has cornered the market on heartfully and honestly rendering what modern motherhood looks like. She writes with an elegant compassion and understanding about what it means for parents caught in the modern tension of raising themselves while also raising kids.

Knox McCoy, cohost of The Popcast and
author of All Things Reconsidered

Sarah Bragg gives women blankets of grace in A Mothers Guide to Raising Herself. Her stories are relatable and funny, and I found myself nodding my head throughout every chapter. I wish I had read something like this earlier in my own motherhood journey. It would have made those long days just a little bit sweeter to know I wasnt alone.

Laura Tremaine, author of Share Your Stuff. Ill Go First.

Sarah Bragg shows up like a friend in the thick of our hardest days, and we find ourselves breathing again. Gentle, funny, and unflinchingly honest, this book is a bouquet of vital truths and timely reminders.

Shannan Martin, author of The Ministry of
Ordinary Places and Falling Free

This must-read book is not only refreshingly honest but incredibly transformational in redefining what we think were supposed to be as moms versus what matters most. Sarahs heart shines brightly in ways that embolden all mothers to be brave enough to look in the mirror, focus on our inner beauty, and gain the freedom to unapologetically live out loud and become the mothers we were born to be.

Deborah L. Tillman, global parenting and childcare specialist
and Lifetime Televisions Americas Supernanny

With honest, heart-on-sleeve storytelling, Sarah brings a refreshing view of motherhood that our culture desperately needs right now. In a world constantly pushing us to thrive in all circumstances, she invites us into a shame-free narrative where showing up and being present are the keys to cultivating meaningful relationships with ourselves and our children. Sarah is a truth-teller, a guide, and an instant friend. Her words are a much-needed balm for the weary and for those of us who simply need a reminder to be courageous in scripting a braver story.

Hannah Brencher, author of Fighting Forward and Come Matter Here

I have had some of my most defining conversations as a mom sitting across the table from Sarah Bragg. Her courageous honesty about what it means to be a mother as well as a growing, learning, thriving human is everything. I have a feeling I will be gifting this book to moms for years to come.

Kristen Ivy, president of Orange and Parent Cue

ZONDERVAN BOOKS

A Mothers Guide to Raising Herself

Copyright 2021 by Sarah Bragg

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Zondervan titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email SpecialMarkets@Zondervan.com.

ISBN 978-0-310-36136-7 (audio)

Epub Edition June 2021 9780310361350

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Bragg, Sarah, 1978- author.

Title: A mothers guide to raising herself : what parenting taught me about life, faith, and myself / Sarah Bragg.

Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Raising great kids starts with raising yourself well, yet its all too easy to lose our identity in the daily struggle of motherhood. Popular podcaster and mom Sarah Bragg offers refreshing wisdom and shame-free practical help to becoming your best and truest self in A Mothers Guide to Raising Herself-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021001616 (print) | LCCN 2021001617 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310361343 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780310361350 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Motherhood--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Self-awareness (Sensitivity) | Mothers--Religious life. | BISAC: RELIGION / Christian Living / Womens Interests | RELIGION / Christian Living / Parenting

Classification: LCC BV4529.18 .B725 2021 (print) | LCC BV4529.18 (ebook) | DDC 248.8/431--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021001616

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021001617

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with Yates & Yates, www.yates2.com.

Art direction: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover design: Connie Gabbert

Cover images: Africa Studio / Magenta 10 / Shutterstock

Interior design: Sara Colley

Printed in the United States of America

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Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that the endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication

To my daughters, Sinclair and Rory. This

book is for you and because of you.

I thought having kids was all about them being born and raised. What I didnt know was how much they were going to raise me. On May 31, 2008, when Sinclair Bragg was born, I, too, was born. I just didnt know it yet.

She learned to walk. So did II learned to walk into who I really am.

She learned to talk. So did II learned to speak differently to myself.

She learned to face her fear of the dark. So did II learned to face the fear of failure.

So much of who I am today is because of Sinclair and Rory, the girls I birthed. But it hasnt been easy. Raising kids is the hardest thing Ive ever done. Ive never wanted to quit something more in my life. This doesnt mean I dont love them. It just means raising kids is hardharder than Id ever imagined.

Not long ago, I was listening to one of my favorite John Mayer albums, and his song Born and Raised really resonated with me. He talks about how life is hard, and how its hard to fake who you really are. Through it all, at the end of the day, youll be born and raised.

I understand what Mayer means when he sings about how its hard to fake who you are. Nothing revealed the need for me to face who I was, who I pretended to be, and who I wanted to be more than having kids. Raising kids has been the greatest catalyst for growth in me. I am a different person now than before I became a mother. It wasnt a painless change, but while I dont like going through hard things, I wouldnt change who Ive become.