Both my kiddos have been hard at work the past few weeks reading mountains of books for multiple summer reading programs. In other words, I have been reading up a storm to my two children. I have also set aside a little time each day to read some books that I want to read. Most recently I have been reading some “parenting” books that I checked out from the local library. Some of the stories in each book are questionable, but these parenting books for the rest of us non-perfect parents make me feel so much better about my own mothering skills!
When Did I Get Like This?
When Did I Get Like This?: The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I’d Never Be (2011) by Amy Wilson is a comic memoir written by a modern woman, wife, and mother. Although Wilson lives a more affluent life in the big city (complete with a country vacation home), I can still relate to her experience of navigating motherhoood. As a mother who recently upgraded from one to two children, I especially appreciate the journey that Wilson takes as she goes from one to two and finally three children.
Sh*tty Mom
Sh*tty Mom: The Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us (2012) by Laurie Kilmartin, Karen Moline, Alicia Ybarbo, and Mary Ann Zoellner is the ultimate parenting guide written by four moms. Each hilarious chapter presents a common parenting scenario with advice on getting through each situation in the easiest and most efficient way possible. The book gave me a humorous new perspective on motherhood, and I felt better about my own parenting fails after reading the sh*tty advice.
Don’t Lick the Minivan
Don’t Lick the Minivan: And Other Things I Never Thought I’d Say to My Kids (2013) by Leanne Shirtliffe chronicles the first few years of parenting of a first time mother pregnant with twins. Filled with humor, the books follows the author from her pregnancy while living in the bustling Asian city Bangkok to her life as a mother of young children in a Canadian suburb. While Shirtliffe initially lives a more luxurious life as a foreigner in Thailand, her self-deprecating stories still resonated with me as a fellow mother of two little ones.
Ketchup Is a Vegetable
Ketchup Is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves (2014) by Robin O’Bryant is a collection of stories from a mother of three daughters. Filled with dozens of humorous and relatable situations, the book offers short essays on topics such as breastfeeding and boob sweat, awkward naked moments with husband and mom, and the differences between boys and girls. Although I was a bit bothered by all the “mommy juice” being poured throughout the stories, I overall found myself relating to the parenting woes as written by a fellow blogger.
Do you have a favorite non-traditional parenting book?
Image Credits
When Did I Get Like This?: http://amzn.to/1Fn3OzL
Sh*tty Mom: http://amzn.to/1cOkE0y
Don’t Lick the Minivan: http://amzn.to/1K3t5SJ
Ketchup Is a Vegetable: http://amzn.to/1FWVy6H
