Be Safe, Love Mom - by Elaine Lowry Brye (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From boot camp to deployment to PTSD, the essential guide for military families

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. In Be Safe, Love Mom she braids together her own experiences with those of fellow parents she's met along the way. She offers gentle guidance on topics ranging from navigating that first anxious goodbye and sending meaningful care packages, to finding comfort in the support of the military community and coping with the enormous sacrifices life as a military mother requires. Now updated with a new afterword, Be Safe, Love Mom is an essential handbook and a warm welcome into the Sisterhood of Military Moms.

Review Quotes

"A compassionate, insightful guide for military parents and the rest of us who are in their debt." --Kirkus Review

"A simply written, very honest book about how parenting a child at war feels. Through author Brye's experiences and those of others who share their stories with her, one gains an understanding of the demands made on families, demands and sacrifices that don't make the national news until a flag-draped coffin is involved. Poignant sometimes to point of inducing tears, Be Safe, Love Mom is not easy reading. It may not even be possible to read at one setting, but it is one of those books that ought to be required reading for every citizen." --New York Journal of Books

"An invaluable guide for parents and family of U.S. military service members, Be Safe, Love Mom offers both comfort and invaluable, hard-won advice from a woman who knows all about the emotional rigors of military life. Elaine Lowry Brye is herself an 'Army brat' and Air Force wife, one who went on to become the mother of four military officers (one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines). Brye's is a book meant to provide sympathy and practical support to families like hers by getting real about the overwhelming emotions involved in watching a loved one enter the armed forces, and serves as a reminder to all of the sacrifices made not just by our fighting men and women but by their families, as well." --Archetypes.com

"An invaluable handbook... 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." --Publishers Weekly

"The military brat, spouse, and veteran whose four children are officers has only heartfelt concern for 'we mothers' and, presumably, fathers. Parents might appreciate reading her comforting momilies (yes, 'momilies') while 'on this roller-coaster ride for which your child has volunteered you.'" --Military Times

"This is the story for all families, as the nurturing love of a mom watches her children grow, while also learning when to let go. For a generation tempered by the horrors of September 11, two wars, and terrorism, Be Safe, Love Mom reminds us the sacrifice isn't just on the battlefield, but in our homes. Her poignant stories of courage will move you, the honor of these brave men and women in uniform will inspire you, and the book will reaffirm your faith in our country." --Steve Scully, Senior Executive Producer & Political Editor, C-SPAN

About the Author

Elaine Lowry Brye, an avid supporter of and advocate for military families, was one of the founding organizers of the USNA parent community website and Facebook page. Throughout her time as a military mom, her children have been deployed seventeen times. She lives with her husband in southern Idaho.

Nan Gatewood Satter is an author, editor, and playwright. She lives with her husband in New York's Hudson Valley.