Be Safe, Love Mom, Elaine Lowry Brye
Be Safe, Love Mom, Elaine Lowry Brye
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Be Safe, Love Mom
A Military Mom's Stories of Courage, Comfort, and Surviving Life on the Home Front

Author: Elaine Lowry Brye, Nan Gatewood Satter

Narrator: TBD

Unabridged: 8 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 03/25/2025


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. 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 that are part and parcel of life as a military mother.

Be Safe, Love Mom braids together Elaine's 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.

With hard-to-come-by information and encouragement that is like advice from a wise and trusted friend, Be Safe, Love Mom is an essential handbook to membership in a strong and special sisterhood.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Melanie on October 17, 2021

Never thought I would want or need to read a memoir like this, but with my son now at boot camp, I found this book to be a comfort, a needed introduction to what it means to be a military mom. It also expanded my understanding of what it means to have family in the military, and has given me a new a......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on June 24, 2024

This book got me through my son’s deployment.......more


Quotes

“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

“[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

“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

“A compassionate, insightful guide for military parents and the rest of us who are in their debt.”—Kirkus Reviews

“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). Bryes' 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

“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 11th, 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