Women are Scary by Melanie Dale

Women are scary.  Ain't that the truth!  I'm not sure there is a book with a more true title that exists.

Seriously, though, having been a mom with little kids who was isolated at home all day, I totally understand the need for this book, Women are Scary:  The Totally Awkward Adventure of Finding Mom Friends by blogger Melanie Dale.  Finding grown up mommy friends is a totally awkward adventure!

I've had more than my share of attempts at friendship.  Besides my own mommy friend craziness, I was the manager of a moms group with around 100 moms.  I saw the good, the bad, the ugly, and the completely wacky.  Unfortunately, I have to say there was far less good than anything else.  I'm sure as the leader I heard more of the drama than the average member did, but I got a fairly thorough view of mom relationship pitfalls.

Between my own relationship issues and seeing the relationship dynamics among 100 moms, I related to almost everything in this book.  Written in a very informal, conversational style, the author manages to walk the reader through the awkwardness and awesomeness of making grown up friends.  Dale breaks up relationships into four bases, each one a deeper stage than the next.  Through the author's personal experiences and scriptural backing, she imparts confidence to the reader to go ahead and wade through all the awkwardness and tension toward the relationships God wants us to have with one another.

What I found very encouraging was the last fifth of the book where the author discusses what to do when relationships go wrong.  Unlike many Christian friendship books, the author wants the reader to hold themselves to a high standard and let go of relationships that aren't working.  In fact, one of the highlighted quotes is "Forgiveness doesn't mean togetherness."  From my experience, this is the hardest part of a relationship, believing you deserve better than a "friend" that is treating you less than a friend should.

As far as recommending this book, let me put it this way...when I finished it, I had the urge to go buy a copy and send it to an ex-friend that I'm still frustrated with to hopefully knock some sense into her.  Not the most Christian sentiment, I'm sure, but it shows how much this book rang true with me.  I recommend it to any mom making that awkward leap out of the house and into developing the relationships Christ wants for His followers.

I was provided this book free of charge by the publisher in return for my honest review.