Jam Every Other Day – a book review

I bought this book on the Exclusive Books sales for two reasons – it was South African and it was written by a mother.

Jam Every Other Day is written by Emmaleen Kriel and is a delightful book.

Kriel writes about her life raising her 7 children in the early 1960s in Constantia, Cape Town. They first 6 children were born very close together and the last one came a few years later.

She got married young and neither her nor her husband were permanently employed. She sewed and he made signs. There were months they barely made enough to feed the 6 children, 2 horses, goat, goose and dogs and cats.

It was not easy, she is honest about that but what it was, for the children anyway, was fun. Maybe it was because there were so many of them or maybe it was just who she was or maybe it was the time they grew up but Kriel raised her children with very few boundaries. They were allowed to go anyway and do anything. The climbed trees, snuck in to museums (complete with goat, goose and dog), spent days playing in the hills of what is now the suburbs of Constantia. She allowed them freedom to be who they are.

Parts of this book are very funny and parts are sad. While the over all feel of the book is happy and positive, she is honest about the challenges they faced, the lack of money, the problems in her relationship, the worry all parents have if we are doing it right.

If you have kids then this really is a must read. We all to often forget to have fun with our kids – Emmaleen reminds us in this book that kids don’t need money, they just need open spaces, some farm animals and lots of love.

“As mothers, however much we try, we remain under attack in one way or another. Circumstances make us who we are and behave the way we do. There’s no blame, and in comparison to the experience of mothering, most life events are paltry. We love because of our faults, not in spite of them. But try tell that to the inner core of your soul”