Whatever parenting stage you’re in, rest assured you’re not alone. In this book, some of the Internet’s most popular women bloggers share their angst, embarrassment, pride, joy, fear, insecurities, hopes, triumphs, regrets and laughs through personal vignettes on parenting. I received an advanced copy to review, and it was an effortless, enjoyable and quick read.
There is something in this book that every new or seasoned mom can relate to, and it’s comforting to know you’re not alone out there! I can’t help being partial to the humorous anecdotes … Linda Roy’s genius piece on a law firm that represents parents in cases of bad playdates … Darcy Perdu’s hilarious piece about her attempt to rescue a lost child at Disney … Nicole Leigh Shaw’s Jonathan Swiftesque satire on how to get back at your fussy baby … Kathryn Leehane’s young son giving her advice quoted from a prescription drug ad on TV … and Jen Mann’s hysterical piece on how she and her husband cured their baby daughter of constant assaults on her toddler brother.
I also particularly related to Michelle Poston Combs’ piece, one of the few in the book written from the perspective of an empty nester with a grown up son. In this wonderfully moving piece, she talks about trying to remember the last time she carried her little boy. As a soon-to-be empty nester who misses the days when my little girl held my hand and snuggled me on the couch, I found myself with a giant lump in my throat as I read her story, which was so poignant and relatable.
One of the nice things about this book is that all of the stories are bite-sized, so you can put down the book and pick it up when you have time to read again, without losing your train of thought. Even a busy mom can squeeze in a vignette here and there! It’s an anthology, so you may relate to some pieces more than others. But every piece is worth reading. It’s about sharing a common experience – motherhood – and realizing that, as women, we’re not alone!