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16th out of 77 books
—
22 voters
Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary
by
Jill Smokler (Goodreads Author)
Sometimes I just let my children fall asleep in front of the TV. In a culture that idealizes motherhood, it’s scary to confess that, in your house, being a mother is beautiful and dirty and joyful and frustrating all at once. Admitting that it’s not easy doesn’t make you a bad mom; at least, it shouldn’t.
If I can’t survive my daughter as a toddler, how the hell am I going...more
If I can’t survive my daughter as a toddler, how the hell am I going...more
Hardcover, 176 pages
Published
April 3rd 2012
by Gallery Books
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Jill Smokler is a superb blogger and a good, funny memoirist. She walks the line of being outrageous without being offensive. But when it comes to talking about motherhood, walking that line is kind-of trite. Smokler's 3 children are almost exactly the ages of mine, and I related to a lot of her musings: the pool sucks, your 'favorite' child changes almost by the minute, and having kids doesn't suddenly make you like kids. I like when I can nod my head while I read, savoring validation from anot...more
Lets just say I plan on giving this to some ppl for Mother's Day... :) it's that great!!! I'm going to get myself another copy too for the bathroom so visitors can read it too! It's so uplifting, it's wonderful!
This book is PERFECT for the struggling mom - the one with the kid who is teething one tooth at a time, one tooth every month, since about month 5, perfect for the 'surprise, your now a mommy" person.... And anyone who's got a child that is far from "easy".
Yes, there is swearing. Yes, it...more
This book is PERFECT for the struggling mom - the one with the kid who is teething one tooth at a time, one tooth every month, since about month 5, perfect for the 'surprise, your now a mommy" person.... And anyone who's got a child that is far from "easy".
Yes, there is swearing. Yes, it...more
I opted to listen to the audio CD version of this book. Smokler choosing to read this book herself doesn't do her any favors. I was hoping to find this book refreshing, honest, with a view on motherhood that was without photoshopped expectations. In some ways it rocked this, but at the end of the day the insecurities of the author ruined the entire experience.
My issues with the book may have started simply because I have never been the kind of girl Smokler describes herself as in her pre-mommy...more
My issues with the book may have started simply because I have never been the kind of girl Smokler describes herself as in her pre-mommy...more
Jill Smokler's new book, Confessions of a Scary Mommy, based off her very popular blog, Scary Mommy, (I have been a fan for years!)is the latest (and the greatest) attempt of a mother to share humor and honesty as it relates to motherhood. Smokler writes on the usual mom topics in a light, humorous tone and includes hilarious and equally honest and juicy, "Mom-Confessions," submitted by mom commenters from her blog. Many of Smokler's story details and confessions are "laugh out loud" funny. All...more
Moms: Blow Off Some of That Menopausal Steam and Read This Book
This book did what very few books have done during my active reading career. It made me put down a juicy, well-written character-driven novel, and not pick it up again until I finished laughing (i.e. reading) my way through this hilarious confessional on modern motherhood.
This is a book that every (honest) mother will relate to and laugh at; however, it's a book I wish every "aspiring" mother would read. We mothers often complain to...more
This book did what very few books have done during my active reading career. It made me put down a juicy, well-written character-driven novel, and not pick it up again until I finished laughing (i.e. reading) my way through this hilarious confessional on modern motherhood.
This is a book that every (honest) mother will relate to and laugh at; however, it's a book I wish every "aspiring" mother would read. We mothers often complain to...more
I received a free galley copy to review and I have to say, lots of people thought I was completely insane, you know, from all the random giggles and laughs that would escape me while I read this over my lunch hour.
I am already a fan of Jill from her Scary Mommy blog and was not shocked by her tone, attitude,and brilliant sarcasm. Although, like some commentors on her blog, I am sure that more than a few people will find much to horrify them in this book. These are the same people who are despera...more
I am already a fan of Jill from her Scary Mommy blog and was not shocked by her tone, attitude,and brilliant sarcasm. Although, like some commentors on her blog, I am sure that more than a few people will find much to horrify them in this book. These are the same people who are despera...more
In the first chapter, Jill Smokler writes "A fellow mom from down the street stopped by our house to introduce herself and asked how my days were going. Half jokingly, I responded, 'The baby is a bit of an asshole, but he'll grow out of it. We'll survive.'" I laughed out loud because it is so true. I adore and love my youngest son, but I have thought, as he pulled my hair and spit milk out on purpose, you are being an asshole.
I try not to judge other moms, but it is hard sometimes. And while re...more
I try not to judge other moms, but it is hard sometimes. And while re...more
I did a video review for my blog here: http://amandathebookbabe.blogspot.com...
I really didn't relate to this book so much. I'm all for "we are mommy, hear us roar!". But, I don't know. This book just wasn't "me". I like to take a more wholesome approach to motherhood and all the talk about drinking and sex and worse even one mom who takes marijuana when mothering has got her down. I'm not trying to come from a place of judgment, but I just don't think moms should be doing those things and worse...more
I really didn't relate to this book so much. I'm all for "we are mommy, hear us roar!". But, I don't know. This book just wasn't "me". I like to take a more wholesome approach to motherhood and all the talk about drinking and sex and worse even one mom who takes marijuana when mothering has got her down. I'm not trying to come from a place of judgment, but I just don't think moms should be doing those things and worse...more
Every mother needs to vent now and then, no matter how much she loves her kids and Smokler provides the space to do so on her website. "Confessions of a Scary Mommy" includes a lot of the statements women have sent her about their kids AND their husbands driving them crazy. Actually, in most of the chapters the husbands come off looking worse than the kids. What is up with men anyway? Did someone tell them that they would seem more attractive if they were inept around the house and did incredibl...more
So often in motherhood, we tend to not speak about certain things, or just outright lie about them. That’s where Scary Mommy comes in! In this collection of essays, blogger Jill Smokler introduces her movement of the Scary Mom Nation: moms who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is, but also share hopes, fears, and questions about the complex enigma that is being a parent.
I’m a big fan of the website; and sadly enough, the mommy confessions are the best part of this book. The actual chapters felt v...more
I’m a big fan of the website; and sadly enough, the mommy confessions are the best part of this book. The actual chapters felt v...more
Confessions of a Scary Mommy is not a highbrow work of literature. It's pee-in-your-pants, snort-coffee-out-your-nose, funny kind of book. It's about stretch marks, snot, and pooping on the delivery table. It's also about cutting yourself some slack, having compassion for fellow moms in the trenches, and maintaining a sense of humor as necessary skill for survival. It lifts the sacred veil off the face of motherhood, revealing that none of us really have any clue what we are doing. It's about RE...more
just like the subtitle says: a darkly humorous take on the not-so-fluffy side of motherhood. tone-wise, this book was right up my alley. i don't like my parenting writing to be too twee or too bland. the problem is that this book is too damn short! apparently it's another book written by a blogger, & in this case, it really shows. it was like the book equivalent of the time my boyfriend & i went to a fancy history department "awards banquet". he wore a tie, i wore heels. we were expectin...more
Hysterically satisfying and definitely irreverent, yet strangely liberating! I admit I raised my eyebrows at a few shocking confessions against Jill Smokler's warning; still I confess I read every page with relish, grinning and grimacing all the while, even with my own mommy guilt surfacing. That said, though she did perfectly deliver SOME swearing, the whole book is laced with profanity, and that is Smokler's one failure for me in achieving an amazing read. Nonetheless, I still think it is a bo...more
Smokler does a good job of elevating a blog into a book, the material is well organized and there are some sweet moments near the end.
Unfortunately, a good 3/4 of the book was more annoying than not. The tone, intended to be irreverent and provide solace for worn down parents, came off as alternatingly insulting (EW! Cloth diapers!) and shallow (What do you mean having kids means it can't be all about me anymore!?) Her attitudes towards husbands (unhelpful at best and useless when sick) were cri...more
Unfortunately, a good 3/4 of the book was more annoying than not. The tone, intended to be irreverent and provide solace for worn down parents, came off as alternatingly insulting (EW! Cloth diapers!) and shallow (What do you mean having kids means it can't be all about me anymore!?) Her attitudes towards husbands (unhelpful at best and useless when sick) were cri...more
I'm not a mom, but I saw Jill Smokler on the Today show discussing her newest book and thought her books might be funny and interesting. Not so much. Maybe this book was relevant when it first came out, but Smokler didn't shed any new light on the trials and tribulations of mommy-hood that I haven't already heard from girlfriends or by a quick look at the internet. The only true laugh out loud moments came from some of the anonymous reader "confessions" placed at the beginning of each chapter. T...more
This book was OK. Apparently this author has her own "mommy blog". The best part of the book were the short "anonymous confessions" that her blog readers have put on her blog. She included 15 or so of them at the start of each chapter. They are the kind of things that real moms can relate to and laugh at when they hear it has happened to someone else. For example, "Just got back from a weeklong vacation with my family to realize I'm not in a single picture. Was I even freaking there?!" Or, "I fo...more
I love my children. I really do. There are days, though...
Jill Smokler's Confessions of a Scary Mommy is a breath of fresh, honest air in a sea of PTA-volunteering, perfect-cupcake-making, soccer moms and their "perfect" children. I can say with certainty that not only will I be reading this book again and again when I have that "I'm the world's worst mother" feeling, but I'll be handing out copies to all my mommy friends!
Smokler includes confessions from mothers submitted to her blog as well...more
Jill Smokler's Confessions of a Scary Mommy is a breath of fresh, honest air in a sea of PTA-volunteering, perfect-cupcake-making, soccer moms and their "perfect" children. I can say with certainty that not only will I be reading this book again and again when I have that "I'm the world's worst mother" feeling, but I'll be handing out copies to all my mommy friends!
Smokler includes confessions from mothers submitted to her blog as well...more
I heard about this book online and picked it up at the library and it was a short read, but more than anything it was hilarious.
Here are some of the quotes I liked from the book:
Motherhood isn't a chain of wondrous little moments strung together in one perfectly orchestrated slide show. It's dirty and scary and beautiful and hard and miraculous and exhausting and thankless and joyful and frustrating all at once.
It's everything.
Anyone who claims that motherhood is only the good stuff is simply in...more
Here are some of the quotes I liked from the book:
Motherhood isn't a chain of wondrous little moments strung together in one perfectly orchestrated slide show. It's dirty and scary and beautiful and hard and miraculous and exhausting and thankless and joyful and frustrating all at once.
It's everything.
Anyone who claims that motherhood is only the good stuff is simply in...more
This book was a huge let-down. I had such high hopes after hearing about it on the Today Show. I didn't even finish it.
The author has the mouth of a sailor. The swearing just gets old and loses it's effect - if that's what she's going for. Her language reminds me of when kids would constantly cuss in middle school just to look cool in front of people.
The funny mom moments weren't even that funny.
The synopsis says "in a culture that idolizes motherhood...", ummm what culture would that be? Bec...more
The author has the mouth of a sailor. The swearing just gets old and loses it's effect - if that's what she's going for. Her language reminds me of when kids would constantly cuss in middle school just to look cool in front of people.
The funny mom moments weren't even that funny.
The synopsis says "in a culture that idolizes motherhood...", ummm what culture would that be? Bec...more
There was SOMETHING about this book that fell short of my expectations, and I think it's because I'm SO not the type of pre-mommy woman that the author was. When I had my son, I was absolutely ready to give him my all. Now...I'm far from being a perfect mom; but, being quite honest, I was shocked at some of the mommy confessions. Even the understandable ones - like how one mother said she only gave her kids the little, hard french fries from McDonald's, and kept the good ones for herself - I wou...more
I follow Smokler's Scary Mommy blog and knew what this was going to be going in - I have always found her to be irreverent, funny, and, most importantly, truthful. The best part of the book for me are the Scary Mommy confessions from other mothers. Yes, some of them might make you cringe, but if you are a mother, most of them ring true- no matter what persona you try to let the public see, motherhood is NEVER perfect, and Smokler has provided a place for moms to vent. I have specific aquaintance...more
I must start off my review with the disclaimer that I am not a mother yet and therefore cannot fully understand or appreciate this book the way those who are can. I read it because I saw it it a list of new book the library I work at had purchased and was intrigued. I have, however, babysat and watched friends go through the process.
For the most part, I found the book funny and entertaining. There were parts that made me laugh out loud and many parts that were right on target. Some things I dis...more
For the most part, I found the book funny and entertaining. There were parts that made me laugh out loud and many parts that were right on target. Some things I dis...more
Realizing that motherhood was not all she thought it would be, this author started a blog where women could anonymously post their confessions, good or evil, about their feelings on this journey. Some were laugh-out-loud hilarious, some were really sad, and some were frighteningly accurate. Side note - she swears a lot, using just about every part of speech. Sometimes it's almost impressive. She even starts a chapter with "I used to swear a lot before I had kids..." Before she had kids? Sheesh,...more
I was a little disappointed with this book. I still liked the book, I just thought I would really love it. I read some of the one liners online and laughed out loud. I was expecting the book to be just like the one liners. Only the real author isn't the author of the one liners she put on her website or her book. They are anonymous writers just giving insight. So the beginning of each chapter starts with a page of the one liners, and they are hilarious. But then the chapter is her writing about...more
This was a wonderfully concise and funny book. I was actually able to read it in one (halfway sane) twelve-hour shift at the hospital and I found myself alternating between laughing out loud and covering my mouth frequently. I decided very early on I want to start recommending this to my pregnant patients to read. The key is, you can't be uptight about stuff when you're reading this. You have to have a sense of humor. Ironically, that's the point she's trying to get across in this book. (It help...more
This was not scary. I haven't read the blog, but I suspect it is a litte bit more raw--and scary--than this treacly affair. These essays are so warmed-over and predigested that whatever edge remains is slight. If the goal is to expose the truth of motherhood so no one feels judged or not good enough, then this book fails extraordinarily. Smokler spins everything "scary" into something fluffy about motherhood. The result is yet another sunny portrait of how amazing it is to be a mother. I was hop...more
There were a lot of really funny things in this book, but there were a lot that just weren't funny. After a while reading about what people hate about motherhood just got a little old. I related to a lot and laughed a lot, but by about halfway through I started skimming and didn't care about finishing. It was loaded with bad language, and during one part when it was mentioned that it helped her to just think in her head "F-you" to your kid's annoying request, I thought that was just a little muc...more
I was hoping for a good laugh, but mostly I felt this book was a lot of tired whining. Maybe because I have two children, nothing seemed original. The writing wasn't fantastic, the subject wasn't inspiring, and I was really glad I checked it out from the library for free. The only things that were even funny were some of the confessions, which weren't the author's thoughts. What the author did actually write seemed a lengthier version of those confessions, like she had nothing to contribute hers...more
Laughed so hard I cried. Then just nearly cried! True stories from the front lines of motherhood, not just from author Jill Smokler, but "confessions" from anonymous moms who posted on her blog over the years. Some of these are hilarious, like flipping off your teenage daughter after she walks out the door for the day, others are heartbreaking like not telling anyone you have postpartum depression. I really wanted more of the confessionals, actually. Some of Jill's essays were fun, but others fe...more
This is a very entertaining look at Motherhood. Jill Smokler started an online blog about being a Mother when she was pregnant with her son. She was surprised at how many other Mothers followed her blog and commented on their own feelings and antidotes about parenting and Motherhood. The book includes many of the interesting comments posted to her blog. The job of Motherhood is shown to be one of great love and hate as well as filled with humor, exhaustion and chaos. Motherhood is the greatest j...more
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What started as an innocent on-line baby book to chronicle Jill Smokler's stay-at-home days with her children, quickly transformed into a vibrant community of parents, brought together by a common theme: Parenting doesn't have to be perfect.
At scarymommy.com, the good times (of which there are many,) the bad (of which there are some) and the scary (of which there are an abundance) are celebrated....more
More about Jill Smokler...
At scarymommy.com, the good times (of which there are many,) the bad (of which there are some) and the scary (of which there are an abundance) are celebrated....more
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“Being a parent is dirty and scary and beautiful and hard and miraculous and exhausting and thankless and joyful and frustrating all at once. It’s everything. (Confessions of a Scary Mommy, Gallery Books 2012).”
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19 people liked it
“...I realized that there is no shortage of the love a mother has to offer her children. There is a never-ending supply of love, pride, and affection, and each child will no doubt receive his equal share. Thankfully, it's just the way we are built. There is, however, something that each child doesn't get the same amount of, and that is called attention.”
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1 person liked it
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Apr 16, 2012 06:17am