Be safe, love mom : a military mom's stories of courage, comfort, and surviving life on the home front /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When you enlist in the United States military, you don't just sign up for duty; you also commit your loved ones to lives of service all their own.

No one knows this better than Elaine Brye, an "Army brat" turned military wife and the mother of four officers--one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. For more than a decade she's endured countless teary goodbyes, empty chairs at Thanksgiving dinners, and sleepless hours waiting for phone calls in the night. She's navigated the complicated tangle of emotions--pride, worry, fear, hope, and deep, enduring love--that are part and parcel of life as a military mother.

In Be Safe, Love Mom Elaine braids together her own personal experiences with those of fellow parents she's met along the way. She offers gentle guidance and hard-earned wisdom on topics ranging from that first anxious goodbye to surrendering all control of your child, from finding comfort in the support of the military community and the healing power of faith to coping with the enormous sacrifices life as a military mother requires. Readers looking for encouragement and hard-to-come-by information as they travel the challenging road of having a child in uniform will find Elaine a wise and trusted friend, and Be Safe, Love Mom an essential handbook to membership in a strong and special sisterhood.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Author's Note (p. ix)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• Letting Go (p. 19)
• You're in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines Now (p. 21)
• Becoming a Warrior (p. 31)
• Semper Gumby (p. 43)
• From Ballet Slippers to Combat Boots (p. 55)
• Oh, the Places They'll Go (p. 73)
• Backpack (p. 79)
• You Are Not Alone (p. 85)
• The Sisterhood and Beyond (p. 87)
• The Biggest Family in the World (p. 99)
• Love in the Mail (p. 107)
• It's Okay If You Break Down in the Dairy Aisle (p. 115)
• Support from Unexpected Places (p. 125)
• What Holds Us Together (p. 133)
• I Believe in Miracles (p. 135)
• Climb Every Mountain (p. 147)
• Nourish Your Soul (p. 153)
• Sandals on the Ground (p. 163)
• The Calling (p. 181)
• Sacrifice (p. 191)
• Saying Goodbye Again and Again (p. 193)
• The Things We Carry (p. 203)
• It All Takes a Toll (p. 215)
• The Sneaky Bastard (p. 221)
• The Gold Star (p. 229)
• No Guts, No Glory (p. 237)
• Acknowledgments (p. 253)
• Sources/References (p. 260)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

In her debut, Brye offers an invaluable handbook for parents of U.S. military service members. An Army brat, Air Force wife, ROTC candidate, and mother of four military officers-one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines-she draws her advice from hard-won experience. Brye explains everything, including why the rigors of boot camp are essential and how normal it is for parents to feel emotionally overwhelmed after a child's deployment. Most comfortingly, she states that military parents are all in it together: members of the military and their families are, well, family, across all branches of service. Her best advice for both parents and service members is to remain "Semper Gumby"-that is, always flexible. Having Christmas in August? No problem. Parental stress, volunteering to help other military families, and the role of spiritual faith are also discussed. Brye doesn't shrink from the hardest topics, including traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, and, most unthinkably, casualty calls. For nonmilitary families, her work is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who serve and by their loved ones. For military families, Brye's book will comfort and inform. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

The mother of four serving military officers pays tribute to the parents of children in active service, especially mothers, America's "unsung heroes."Brye, an advocate for military families who administers the Naval Academy's Parents Listserv and Facebook page, achieved national prominence when she was chosen to introduce Michelle Obama at the 2012 Democratic Convention. The author explains that despite her own Republican convictions, she appreciates the activities of both the first lady and Jill Biden on behalf of military families. "There is the bravery required to go out and fight the battles," writes Brye, "and there is the bravery to keep the home fires burning." Coming from a multigenerational military familyher parents served during World War II, her husband is a retired officer, and she has four children on active dutyshe knows the terrain. Not only do parents need to endure the worry when their sons and daughters are on dangerous deployments and out of touch, mothers also face the trauma of severe disconnection, which begins when their children go through the toughening-up process of boot camp. The author writes of her own ordeal under such circumstances as akin to "swimming under water without an oxygen tank," and she describes overcoming fighting the urge to protect a child in the military as learning to "embrace the suck." At the same time, Brye advises mothers to cut themselves some slack, citing her own occasional meltdowns as something to be expected under stress. The author also touches on the special difficulties for women in the military, as they must demonstrate physical toughness, but not get too chummy with their male counterparts, in order to gain respect. A compassionate, insightful guide for military parents and the rest of us who are in their debt. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Elaine Lowry Brye, an avid supporter of and advocate for military families, served as a longtime moderator for the USNA-Parents listserv and was one of the founding organizers of its parent community website and Facebook page. She became a national figure when she introduced Michelle Obama at the 2012 Democratic Convention. She lives with her husband in northeast Ohio.

Nan Gatewood Satter, a writer and independent book editor, is the daughter of a highly decorated Navy fighter pilot. She lives with her husband and son in New York's Hudson Valley.