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52nd out of 196 books
—
255 voters
The Three-Martini Playdate: A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting
Parents were here first! How did the kids suddenly take control? Sure the world has changed from the days when children were supposed to be seen and not heard, but things have gotten a little out of hand. What about some quality time for the grownups? Author Christie Mellor's hilarious, personal, refreshing, and actually quite useful advice delightfully rights the balance...more
Paperback, 144 pages
Published
March 1st 2004
by Chronicle Books
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No, I haven't started drinking martinis. (Although there are days...) This is a satirical take on a classic fifties-era parenting manual. Even though she's clearly joking (right?) when she lists ways kids can make themselves useful, such as making a perfect martini or polishing the silver, the author's larger point is that parents shouldn't abandon all adult privileges and let their child rule the world. A sentiment I agree with, although parts of her advice ("simply tell your child to stop scre...more
I very much enjoyed this cheeky little book. Told in a tongue-and-cheek style, infused with some real advice, it's a humorous reminder that we all need to have a life outside our kids who will one day (sooner than we might hope or expect) have lives of their own. Remember when we used to entertain ourselves and the immense imaginations we cultivated as a result? I often fear I'm overly entertaining my only-child in hopes of providing him with plenty of enriching opportunities. The author reminds...more
Not useful in the least, but pretty funny. A nice response to all of the kum-by-ya parenting books that seem to think discipline is a four letter word. Chapters include "Screaming: Is It Necessary", "Saying No to Your Child: It's a Kick!" and "Bedtime: Is Five-Thirty Too Early?". Any book that tells you to teach your child how to mix a gin and tonic so you can have help hosting social functions has my vote.
1 like · like · see review
For those of us sick of hearing about things like "attachment parenting" and "kindergarten readiness."
A reality check for any new parent. I wish more moms read this book! Very funny and very true! (Warning: written with excessive sarcasim! If you take everything literally, don't read this book!)
I was fully prepared to despise this book. It did, however, have its redeeming qualities. Many of the chapters are cleverly written. As I read, I found that Mellor's advice is based on research and advice from medical and child development experts. So, I give her props for getting some good messages out to people who might not normally read as much about parenting as the paranoid, overeducated mother I have become. Mellor basically gives a few excellent pointers on childrearing, but she couches...more
While I am not much of a drinker, I found Mellor's parenting advice in most other respects spot on. The title of her first book, Hey Kids! We Were Here First! gives a clearer picture of her parenting style than the title of this one, but many of the principles are doubtless the same. Principle one: children will one day become adults, so parents should start teaching them behaviors and qualities that will be becoming in adults at an early age. Principle 2two: The world does not revolve around th...more
Sigh. What a crappy time-waster of a book. I have no problem with books that poke fun at motherhood and raising kids (I quite liked I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing Modern Motherhood). But the author of this comes across as one of those people that causes me to scratch my head and think, "Uh, why did you ever have kids if you dislike them so much?"
She picks some strange topics to have issues with, such as childproofing. She laments going to someone's house for dinner and fi...more
She picks some strange topics to have issues with, such as childproofing. She laments going to someone's house for dinner and fi...more
My full review can be found at http://thisfelicitouslife.wordpress.com.
If I were to give advice for a first-time mom it would be
Don't listen to any advice, but
If you have to listen to advice, listen to mine, and my advice is
Don't read any parenting books, but
If you have to read a parenting book, read this one!
When Girl 1 was born, I read lots of Dr. Sears and La Leche League and (worst of all) Parents magazine. I went around in a sleep-deprived, raging hormone-induced fog of Mommy Guilt. If my b...more
If I were to give advice for a first-time mom it would be
Don't listen to any advice, but
If you have to listen to advice, listen to mine, and my advice is
Don't read any parenting books, but
If you have to read a parenting book, read this one!
When Girl 1 was born, I read lots of Dr. Sears and La Leche League and (worst of all) Parents magazine. I went around in a sleep-deprived, raging hormone-induced fog of Mommy Guilt. If my b...more
1 like · like · see review
Aug 03, 2010
Caitlin
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
parents - especially with toddlers
Recommended to Caitlin by:
Agnes
Shelves:
2010
Oh my gosh! It was like this book was written for me!! I haven't felt like this about a parenting book since I read - thanks to Agnes - Great with Child.
Finally! I refreshing take on parenting that completely jives with how I view looking after kids. Her witty, concise writing had me laughing out loud on several occasions. I whole-heartedly agreed with Mellor's stance on most everything, though we diverged on a few points, outlined below.
I agree with Mellor that kids should be able to play on t...more
Finally! I refreshing take on parenting that completely jives with how I view looking after kids. Her witty, concise writing had me laughing out loud on several occasions. I whole-heartedly agreed with Mellor's stance on most everything, though we diverged on a few points, outlined below.
I agree with Mellor that kids should be able to play on t...more
It's a really sad statement that there's even a market for books like this, but there you have it. Mellor is preaching to the choir with me, but my mother-in-law and sister-in-law would throw this book into the fire for her stance that parents should have a life outside of their kids, for the GOOD of their kids. Thank goodness there are books like this for those of us who enjoy the sound of a baby rattle as much as the rattle of a martini shaker and the laughter of good friends. A fast, funny re...more
I hated this book more than I can say. What a mean, mean woman who seems to have nothing but contempt for children. I get that she was going for the tongue in cheek tone, but it just wasn't funny at all. Not because she was talking about taboo things, (I've had playdates in several London pubs, so the whole alcohol with kids thing isn't all that bizarre to me) but just because she's not a very good writer and seems to think that children are solely a burden and can't be any fun at all.
This book should be required reading for all new parents. It sheds a sardonic light on todays parenting method of making the child the king of the household, by reminding us that it wasn't so long ago that children were born merely for labor on the farm. It's light-hearted, 1950s Good Housekeeping approach is fun, and the writing is breezy, all while tackling topics such as: Child Labor, Our Untapped Resource, Children's Music, Why?
Feb 25, 2011
Theresa Hull
is currently reading it
This book is really cute so far! It was a gift to Jason and I, from my parents, and we find it entertaining and fun. It is no-nonsense advice on parenting and talks a lot about those real life situations you see in grocery stores (tantrums, hitting Mommy, etc) and how to handle them. It is only about 2 pages per piece of advice, so its great to read when I only have short snippets of time.
I received this book as a baby shower gift for baby #4 - I wish I had read it years ago but I probably would not have appreciated it. This book is laugh out loud funny. The author's tone is very tongue-in-cheek but she makes some legitimate points. Although I do not promote actually drinking 3 martinis at a playdate, I have been known to provide mimosas or margaritas...for the adults only, of course. Cheers!
Not really what I thought it was. It was a mostly good parenting manual with some humorous writing. Not funny, but something that will make you smile. And some of the advice is actually quite good & I agree with. Getting kids to bed early enough so the get enough sleep. Feeding them real food instead of giving in to their processed food pallet. Mostly, it's now not to completely loose yourself in the process of parenting. Thought this would be more satirical and more funny.
Cute, but not very smart. Thousands of other mommy writers and bloggers have said it better, although Mellor may have paved the way for play date drinking moms (to come out of the closet, at the very least). Let's be real- we all have a cocktail when our kids are awake. I had a glass of Rose yesterday while Aiden was in the sandbox. And I enjoyed every minute of it!
I could not keep from laughing as I read this book. The insightful parenting advice can pertain to those who already have children, have had children or plan on having them. Although humorous, the tips are quite practical. My sister has a two-year-old son, and I plan on buying this for her for Christmas. It’s a definite must-read book!
I would give this book ten stars if I could. Is there a better title ON EARTH than Three Martini Playdate? This book delivers big on political incorrectness, snark, irreverence and actual advice worthy of following - to a degree. Its tongue-in-cheek for the most part, yes. But in the end the message is an important one: One day, you'll wake up and your kid will be getting his own cereal and won't need you to drive him anywhere. Will you still have a life? Helicopter parents, brace yourselves: th...more
I found this book Hi.Lar.I.Ous. I was laughing so hard I cried. Just the thing to read at the end of a long day. It's irreverent, witty, tongue in cheek, and a great reminder that WE are the parents and THEY are the children--and let's not get quite so hung up on the whole child-rearing thing anyway, let's not it run our entire lives.
I love this book! I laughed my butt off. The Three-Martini Playdate is well-written, tongue-in-cheek, extremely funny and somewhat sarcastic (without being nasty) look at parenting and the art of putting it all into perspective. So many parents have gotten completely wrapped up in our children that we have let things get out of balance. This book puts many of those things that have developed in the world of parenting (like those over-the-top, crazy birthday parties and having our children's ever...more
Whether you have children, are thinking of having children or have ever been around children, you should read this book. A ton of really practical advise is presented in a dry, humorous way by a mother who actually gets that ours is an adult world that kids must adapt themselves to (in other words, grow up).
Totally hysterical. This is a tongue-in-cheek book that pokes fun at the attachment/child-centered philosophy of parenting. It reminds us not to take our children too seriously, and to keep our own identities intact. It's a quick, light read that raises several good points.
The gist: don't let your kids run your life. A hilarious read, as I am a fan of super-martini-dry-humor. I almost woke my kids up because I was laughing...and I would have just told them to go back to bed, because that's what Christie Mellor would advise me to do, I'm sure. ;)
A practical guide to happy parenting indeed. Useful, stern and realistic advice contradicting now-common practices of letting a child wear the pants in the house. Written in a very humerous manner and extremely entertaining. So funny because it's so true!
1 like · like · see review
Loved it...should be required reading for Park City parents!! Best tip...to weed out the parents you
don't want to hang out with, invite them at cocktail hour and see how they respond to your giant
pitcher of martinis/margaritas/whatever your poison!!
don't want to hang out with, invite them at cocktail hour and see how they respond to your giant
pitcher of martinis/margaritas/whatever your poison!!
This book is a fun, high-spirited, tongue-in-cheek guide to modern parenting, with a focus on trying to parent and have a good time ... at the same time.
Parents were indeed here first, and the author would like to go back to a time when kids had manners, did not need to be constantly entertained (because they had imaginations! Imagine that), and were taught to stay out of the adults hair, or else.
I loved this book, and felt it was a much-needed departure from the typical parenting B.S. we are b...more
Parents were indeed here first, and the author would like to go back to a time when kids had manners, did not need to be constantly entertained (because they had imaginations! Imagine that), and were taught to stay out of the adults hair, or else.
I loved this book, and felt it was a much-needed departure from the typical parenting B.S. we are b...more
While martinis are mentioned constantly in this book the joy of drinking is not its main point. This book is a witty, funny, tongue in cheek railing about overly obsessed parents. And I love it.
I really wanted to love this book...with a title like that who wouldn't? It was okay. There were parts that were truly funny but (and I am not sure if this is what the author was going for) most of it felt like I was being talked to like a toddler. I couldn't get past the condescending tone of her advice even when it was pretty funny.
A quick and funny book. Sarcastic and funny. If you have kids you might hate it, if you don't have kids and think your friends with kids coddle them: give them this book!
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“Do not make your child your only hobby or you will end up waiting by the telephone in a cheery room covered in brittle, yellowed crayon drawings, regaling those few friends that are left with stale anecdotes about your youngster's accomplishments. Your little baby will be off in college, or backpacking in the Amazon, or on the other side of the country trying to get as far away from home as possible, and you will begin collecting porcelain frogs and feeding stray cats. So now is the time to start getting that life to fall back on. You know what you must do. Do it for your child. Do it for me, and for everyone out there who has to deal with your child for the rest of your child's life. And do it for yourself.”
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Feb 01, 2008 08:21pm