Ice Cream for Breakfast: How rediscovering your inner child can make you calmer, happier, and solve your bullsh*t adult problems

by Laura Jane Williams

Kidding is the new adulting. Consider this your permission slip to relax, laugh, and finally find happiness.

At once hilarious, irreverent, and downright inspiring, Kidding shows you how to connect with your inner child to make your mundane, complicated adult life much simpler (and happier). It's a book about using your imagination and creativity to find joy, and about being happier by being who you are-which is to say, by being a big kid at heart.

Author Laura Jane Williams argues that you can be an adult but still embrace child-like (not childish) tendencies: you can own your own home and still want to build a pillow fort when the mood strikes; you can pay your bills on time and still snuggle something soft against your face because you're sad; you can run a business and still take time to play. Divided into 40 short lessons, it's an accessible, fun introduction to the self-help world that anyone can stomach.

Laura's experience as a nanny to two young, precocious children has transformed her view on life, and in this book she passes along the lessons she's learned from them. Because kids live in the present. They lose themselves in what they love, they show off, and they like themselves. Kids are curious by default, and they don't have limits because they haven't learned they exist yet. Kids do whatever the f*ck they want, precisely because they want to. To put it simply, kids have the answers, man.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Memoir, Personal Development, Mental Health, Personal Growth

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2017

About the author

Laura Jane Williams (she/her) is known as the queen of the meet-cute. She is the author of six rom-coms, as well as the forthcoming Lovestruck (June 2023). She is also the author of three works of non-fiction.

The rights to Laura's international bestseller Our Stop have been sold for television, and her books have been translated into languages all over the world. She loves romance, being a parent, and lifting very heavy weights.

Find out more about Laura on www.laurajaneauthor.com

Reviews

[Kalyn Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with a book club and loved it. It’s full of what you would assume to be common sense reminders but with growing up, may be forgotten or undervalued. Each lesson is also written in a fun tone with examples and perspectives that one may not have looked at these simple principles through.

This was a warm, inviting read that made me feel a little less ridiculous for having theme dedicated days of the week and more inspired to renew a sense of childlike confidence in my dreams.

[Karen A. Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read and was insightful in a 'you know this but let me remind you' kinda way. Nothing mindblowing, but not a total waste of time.

The author is infinitely less funny than she thinks she is 😣

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to start this review by being totally honest, because, among the many things this book has taught me, honesty is key. I wasn’t ready for another book, I wanted a break from books so I could reflect on Paper Butterflies and heal my broken heart. Another thing I wasn’t ready for? A self-help book, I’ve never liked them. I just see them as ‘oh, someone is blabbering on with bullshit quotes and metaphors’, but this isn’t a self-help book in the traditional (above mentioned) sense which is why I picked it.

I want to start by saying this book is exactly what I need (the fact I didn’t know I needed it until I finished reading makes it extra special to me) in my life at the moment, to look back over my life in the past and to look forward to my future life.

Each chapter has helped me in some way and I like to think the same will be true for others who have read the book. It has made me look at my life in a new way, a much calmer way, a much happier way and a much more care-free way. It’s built my self confidence and made me question lots of things in both good and bad ways.
If I had to sum up the book in a couple of sentences? It leaves you feeling relaxed with a new sense of yourself. Also it makes you feel like this: ‘Yeah, I can do what, think what I want, question why things need to be done and be confident all at the same time without coming across as a cock’

[Isabelle reads a book a day because she has no friends · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m going to give this one roughly 2.5 stars; unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I am also a nanny and I know for a fact that kids have so much to teach us. Each chapter contains a lesson the author has learned from the kids she has nannied and how we can apply them to our own adult lives. The actual lessons themselves are great (for example- kids don’t care what anybody else thinks of them and they always say what they think!), but I found each chapter dragging on, even though they we rather short. As soon as each chapter was done talking about the actual kids, I found myself bored and listening to rambles...other reviewers were right when they said it was evident the author thinks she is a lot more funny than she is. And she is always talking about sex. I felt almost as though I was reading two separate books at once. This wasn’t my cup of tea, but if you are going for a lighthearted self-help book with some humor thrown in, I’d recommend it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is cute and I really liked the analogies. Some great reminders ☺️

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

bloody brilliant. something I think we all ought to read.

[Eduardo Szeckir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best non-fiction book I’ve read so far and it got a spot on my favorites!!
For those who know me, you know how much I love kids and how I always say that we can learn SO much through them. Kids are raw human beings that haven’t had their personalities shaped by society yet, allowing them to live freely and be whoever they are and dream about whatever they want. This book is exactly about that, about allowing yourself to worry less and solve your problems as children!
The author stopped writing for 9 months to work as a babysitter because she was burnout and depressed, and she writes about all the things she learned with the kids she took care of for that time.
I loved this book and I love children and I feel like I’m living a better life already!

[Zuzana Kuczyński · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just go and dick around!

I listened to the audiobook version on Audible narrated by the author herself and it was very... audible 😏 that she had so much fun doing it, so it added to the experience a lot. Overall it was really nice to listen to, it contains good and sometimes painfully obvious advice for us ever-over-analyzing-worriers.

[Cristina Umanzor · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

What a cute little reminder to stay tru to your inner kid! I knocked stars off because I had to put it down for a bit, so many millennial jokes I couldn’t take it LOL. But I picked it up again and so glad I did because it reminded me of how resourceful youth can be while I’m navigating all that life brings to me!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice!!

[BELA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trzeba wrócić do dzieciństwa, żeby przypomnieć sobie co nie co i ułatwić sobie życie :D

[Tereza Koppová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prostě si tu zmrzlinu k snídani dejte

[Tati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet and a welcome pick me up. The insights are not ground-breaking but could be for a tween! Would recommend if you need to be reminded of how worthy you are. Apart from that, I love and adore Laura Jane Williams as a person and on her Instagram. If you do so, too, please pick this book up. It won't take long to get trough it :)

[Tien · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like a nice pat on the shoulder reassuring you that you're doing okay. None of the tips are revolutionary, but who knows, it may come to you at a time you most needed it. Today was the first time I've ever resigned from a job and I felt a lot of guilt, but it was nice reading this and reminding myself I'm allowed to want things and to put myself first.

[Malina Cojocaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice and helpful reminder to not take everything too seriously, and enjoy life. Also to look after ourselves more and be abit more compassionate. Really nice pep talk, written in a funny and witty way. Good book to dip in and out of.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, so much advice I didn’t even know I needed. Such refreshing perspectives and really made me stop and take stock. I highlighted SO many passages throughout, every single chapter really spoke to me. Super easy to read too.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but I feel like it was a very watered down version of other books I have read on this subject.

[shahad · Rating 4 out of 5]

has a lot of good advice that may sound obvious but i needed to hear. 4 stars bc of the millennial humor that i didn’t particularly enjoy

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was probably the best thing I’ve read all year. It moved me, made me put it down to turn to my boyfriend and say, this is how I’ve been feeling and finally, I have the words to explain it. Burnout is a funny thing, and Laura writes in a way that makes you go ‘yes, exactly this’. I will go back to it over and over.

[Edible Endings · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong 4. It was funny and motivating. A little bit over the top at parts, stretched juuuuuust a little bit too far for my taste. It touches topics of problems I don't relate with, but it was still good to read them. I can see how other people struggle with stuff the book is talking about at parts. Overall I haven't read anything I didn't already know, but it was a fun reminder to keep up ;)

[Frances Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually pretty informal, laid-back, genuinely funny, informative and reassuring- exceeded my expectations so much!

[Sheree Hatton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will come back to this book time and time again when I need to at different stages in my life. I love it, it’s helpful and helps me reset 🧡

[Ange · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also believe we can learn a lot from how children behave. For example, toddlers live fully in the moment and express pure joy, even over the smallest things.

I really enjoyed reading this lighthearted book.

[Martyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just so good... So gooey, and warm, and comforting. And I don't even like kids... Thank you, Laura Jane Williams. You gave me loads to think about. And to act on. Plus, i loved the little lists to fill out, my nerdy side was beyond herself.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read, June 2017:
I ADORED this book. It's reassuring, funny, comforting, eye-opening, everything. It's written so conversationally, like I'm just sitting with Laura over some coffee, and she's telling me about what she's learned from the kids today. I love it. This was actually the first book I took a highlighter to, putting sentences and paragraphs in a bright neon spotlight. It was exactly what I didn't know I needed.

Second read, January 2024:
It was interesting re-reading this book, 7 years later, because I found that the sentences I underlined this time around weren’t things for me to learn or keep in mind, but things I appreciated because I’d already learned them & put them into practice. It helped me see I appreciate my own growth. What a special gem this book is.

“The only path a kid is on is the one towards becoming themselves.”

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody fantastic

Seriously loved this
- the way it’s written just feels like you’re chatting with a friend rather than reading a book
- it’s got a lot of humour in it which makes even the tougher lessons easier to digest
- it’s suuuuuuper relatable as it covers such a variety of aspect of adulthood
- it didn’t feel preachy at all which was a concern I had going into it. It felt really genuine and like the author fully believed in the stuff she was writing and that she lived it too
- the points she made were spot on and really changed the way I think about certain things

This was just amazing. Especially for someone like myself who has just graduated university and is just starting to come to terms with what being an adult really means. I will definitely be reading this again

[HighFidelity · Rating 1 out of 5]

Knjiga puna kontradikcija. Ja shvatam pouku toga da bi bili srecniji kao deca,ali to je sve sto ovo jeste. Odrasla zena koja prica o tome koliko nam je u stvari bilo super kada smo bili deca. To znam i bez nje. Napravi ideju neceg dobrog i onda kaze ali to ne smemo da radimo. Oblaci se kako hoces ali nemoj,poveravaj se ljudima ali nemoj,veruj u svoje snove ali odustani u nekom trenutku. To sve zaista nije moja solja kafe. Ako vam treba lagani self help not helping onda svaka preporuka,ako ne onda idite lepo i citajte fikciju.

[Lucia Abreu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I follow Laura on instagram, and I really like her posts, this is why I came to this book, but to be honest I was a bit disappointed. It held great promise, but ended up being too much self-help for my taste. Some of the insights, especially when she takes examples from the times she used to be a nanny, are very interesting, but the writing loses some of its force when it relies too much on "do this, do that, believe in yourself" and all those general statements.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as insightful as I'd hoped. I found it more reassuring that it's okay that I'm a big child at heart. A book I could gave done with in my early twenties I feel, but thankfully life has taught me to not give a shit what people think and that doing what makes you happy is a life motto we all should adopt.

[Gemma Crofts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't quite hit the mark...

Having read Becoming I was feeling quite excited about this book but unfortunately it didn't hit the mark. It's a kind of self help book but nothing particularly enlightening. It's a little haphazard. However, there are a few parts around the author's own personal challenges and what worked for her - honest disclosure and insight.