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When Did I Get Like This?: The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be
From the creator and star of the one-woman off-Broadway show Mother Load, comes When Did I Get Like This?, a screamingly funny take on being a modern woman, wife, and mother.
253 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
67 people are currently reading
2564 people want to read
About the author
Amy Wilson
2 books22 followersAmy Wilson is the creator of Mother Load, a one-woman show that has been touring the United States since 2007. Amy is a contributing editor to Parenting magazine, and has also written for babytalk, Babble, and CNN.com. As an actress, Amy has performed on and off Broadway, on numerous sitcoms, and in films. But her favorite productions are her three young children, whom she raises with her husband in New York City. WHEN DID I GET LIKE THIS? is her first book.
There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 314 reviews
July 18, 2012
An Open Letter to the Author:
Dear Amy,
Is it okay if I call you “Amy”? Because after reading your book, I feel like I have known you my whole life. Actually, I feel like you are me (but with better skin and sharper wit). I bought your book as a Mother’s Day present to myself, during a rare afternoon of “alone time”. We really didn’t have the money to spare, but since I just blew $300 on tickets for my husband to see his favorite rock band (thus, why we had no money to spare), I figured $20 wasn’t too much of an indulgence.
I am so glad I didn’t guilt myself out of it; that is my usual M.O., to not treat myself because that money is better spent towards new shoes/clothes/coats/books/etc. for my kids. Reading your book actually was sort of a present to my kids (3 of whom also have Gaelic-inspired names, though by accident not design: Beckett, Finnian, and Moira). I feel a little lighter, a little more joyful, a little more connected to my family. For one simple reason:
YOU GET IT!
I have read dozens of similarly-themed books, starting with The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy when I was expecting my firstborn. Most were funny, poignant, relatable. But after just the first few pages, I knew we were kindred spirits. In fact, I went searching for my journals just to see if somehow you had gotten your hands on them and were using MY life as inspiration.
Your wanting to experience a med-free birth with Connor mirrored my desire for the same with my daughter, Larisa. She was conceived and carried after 5 years and 9 miscarriages, and about 6 months after the fertility specialist told us they didn’t know why I couldn’t carry a baby, just that my eggs seemed to be “bad” (but, for $2800/month they would be happy to shoot me up with hormones until those gosh darned eggs reached peak perfection, cash upfront). I said screw it, and decided to treat myself with some funny-sounding herbs. I figured I couldn’t do any worse than the doctors at that point. So with many a Hail Mary (oh yeah, I’m Catholic, too!) and False Unicorn Root in my OJ, I begat my sweet Larisa. Of course, after all those tribulations, I wanted to feel the pain of motherhood.
My labor and delivery went pretty much like yours. And the shame and disappointment I felt afterwards, that I had “given in”, stayed with me right up until the moment my second child was being stubborn and they asked if I wanted the epidural. I realized that I wanted to be present in that moment when he entered the world, and the epidural was what would help me to do that. They gave me a little too much, so I had to be told when to do what because I felt nothing, but it was still a wonderful experience. Someday, over Mojitos, I will tell you about the (involuntary) med-free birth of my third. Let’s just say, 1hr 12mins from my first pain to his first cry. My husband missed the whole thing while he was parking the car.
When you wrote about your difficulty in connecting with other moms, with losing “Amy” and becoming “Connor’s Mommy”, I cried. I have a wonderful group of online friends that have been with me since we were all the December 2002 Expecting Club. But flesh and bone friends have been hard to come by. I only have the friends that I do have now because a few of them took the time to reach out to me at Lara’s pre-K pick-up. I try to pay that forward with the new moms at Beck’s pre-K pick-up. It’s just so hard to find that right connection with another woman. I picked up my husband faster and easier than I have new mom friends, though that might have been because of the tequila. I don’t think Sister Joanne would appreciate me bringing a bottle of Cuervo along to Back to School night, though it might make filling out all those damn forms more exciting.
I, too, often feel like the Hippopotamus. (Yep, a Sandra Boynton freak here, too. I have Philadelphia Chickens loaded on my iPod, and not just on my kids’ playlist.) My husband takes the kids out and does things with them, while I mostly follow behind making sure everyone has what they need and cleaning up in their wake. I’ve seriously forgotten how to just have fun. I love that you ended that chapter with a cannonball into the pool. While I can’t do that, the $15 plastic wading pool just isn’t conducive to diving, I’m going to make it my goal to do more “cannonballs” this summer and become “Yes the Mom”. Thank you for that lesson.
I hope you will continue to write more books. It makes such a big difference knowing there’s someone else out there with these thoughts and feelings.
Sincerely,
Lynn
a.k.a Larisa-Beckett-Finnian-Moira’s Mom
Dear Amy,
Is it okay if I call you “Amy”? Because after reading your book, I feel like I have known you my whole life. Actually, I feel like you are me (but with better skin and sharper wit). I bought your book as a Mother’s Day present to myself, during a rare afternoon of “alone time”. We really didn’t have the money to spare, but since I just blew $300 on tickets for my husband to see his favorite rock band (thus, why we had no money to spare), I figured $20 wasn’t too much of an indulgence.
I am so glad I didn’t guilt myself out of it; that is my usual M.O., to not treat myself because that money is better spent towards new shoes/clothes/coats/books/etc. for my kids. Reading your book actually was sort of a present to my kids (3 of whom also have Gaelic-inspired names, though by accident not design: Beckett, Finnian, and Moira). I feel a little lighter, a little more joyful, a little more connected to my family. For one simple reason:
YOU GET IT!
I have read dozens of similarly-themed books, starting with The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy when I was expecting my firstborn. Most were funny, poignant, relatable. But after just the first few pages, I knew we were kindred spirits. In fact, I went searching for my journals just to see if somehow you had gotten your hands on them and were using MY life as inspiration.
Your wanting to experience a med-free birth with Connor mirrored my desire for the same with my daughter, Larisa. She was conceived and carried after 5 years and 9 miscarriages, and about 6 months after the fertility specialist told us they didn’t know why I couldn’t carry a baby, just that my eggs seemed to be “bad” (but, for $2800/month they would be happy to shoot me up with hormones until those gosh darned eggs reached peak perfection, cash upfront). I said screw it, and decided to treat myself with some funny-sounding herbs. I figured I couldn’t do any worse than the doctors at that point. So with many a Hail Mary (oh yeah, I’m Catholic, too!) and False Unicorn Root in my OJ, I begat my sweet Larisa. Of course, after all those tribulations, I wanted to feel the pain of motherhood.
My labor and delivery went pretty much like yours. And the shame and disappointment I felt afterwards, that I had “given in”, stayed with me right up until the moment my second child was being stubborn and they asked if I wanted the epidural. I realized that I wanted to be present in that moment when he entered the world, and the epidural was what would help me to do that. They gave me a little too much, so I had to be told when to do what because I felt nothing, but it was still a wonderful experience. Someday, over Mojitos, I will tell you about the (involuntary) med-free birth of my third. Let’s just say, 1hr 12mins from my first pain to his first cry. My husband missed the whole thing while he was parking the car.
When you wrote about your difficulty in connecting with other moms, with losing “Amy” and becoming “Connor’s Mommy”, I cried. I have a wonderful group of online friends that have been with me since we were all the December 2002 Expecting Club. But flesh and bone friends have been hard to come by. I only have the friends that I do have now because a few of them took the time to reach out to me at Lara’s pre-K pick-up. I try to pay that forward with the new moms at Beck’s pre-K pick-up. It’s just so hard to find that right connection with another woman. I picked up my husband faster and easier than I have new mom friends, though that might have been because of the tequila. I don’t think Sister Joanne would appreciate me bringing a bottle of Cuervo along to Back to School night, though it might make filling out all those damn forms more exciting.
I, too, often feel like the Hippopotamus. (Yep, a Sandra Boynton freak here, too. I have Philadelphia Chickens loaded on my iPod, and not just on my kids’ playlist.) My husband takes the kids out and does things with them, while I mostly follow behind making sure everyone has what they need and cleaning up in their wake. I’ve seriously forgotten how to just have fun. I love that you ended that chapter with a cannonball into the pool. While I can’t do that, the $15 plastic wading pool just isn’t conducive to diving, I’m going to make it my goal to do more “cannonballs” this summer and become “Yes the Mom”. Thank you for that lesson.
I hope you will continue to write more books. It makes such a big difference knowing there’s someone else out there with these thoughts and feelings.
Sincerely,
Lynn
a.k.a Larisa-Beckett-Finnian-Moira’s Mom
June 3, 2010
This book couldn't have fallen into my hands at a more perfect (or perfectly miserable) time. I've been going through what I hope is just the "terrible twos" with my son. I say hope because I quietly pray that this is "only a phase," and that his newly blossomed maddening temperment isn't an indication of the person he's turning out to be. I guess I just never realized how terrible these twos could be. And when you find yourself in tears just as often as your tiny companion, you can only beg to the heavens that this (please dear god) be just a passing phase.
This book has been my self-help bible through this difficult, exhausting, guilt-ridden and anger-inducing time. It's not specifically about just the "terrible twos" but more about the oddly unnatural pressures of modern motherhood. Since we are truly the first generation of mothers who have the internet at-the-ready for all of our parenting needs, wants and inquiries, there's no longer the easy-out of the old days. Our mothers, and their mothers, and all the mothers before, can now laugh at the absurdities of child-rearing in the past and brush it off with a simple, "We just didn't know. We had no idea." No idea that smoking menthols and drinking gin all through pregnancy was a health risk. No idea that letting the 18-month old crawl around the back of the station wagon on road trips could possibly be hazardous. No idea that preschool could be such a big goddamn deal.
But alas, here we are in the 21st century where everyone knows everything. Moms can no longer sigh and shrug if off with the, "I had no idea..." excuse. Because if we dared to go there, the whole world would be quick to chorus, "Didn't you hear that news story? Didn't you read those books? Didn't you sign up for the weekly newsletters on those websites? Didn't you watch the Today Show last week???" The anxiety in wondering about all the things you're doing wrong is enough to make you ask, "So what exactly were those Mother's Little Helper pills? And where can I get some?"
Amy Wilson chronicles her experience with raising three children under the age of 10 in a way that made me cry and laugh in a cathartic commiseration. It's a fast read, and begs to be re-read as you start to remember all of the funny little truisms. I think the next time I hit my mommy roadblocks and parenting conundrums (most likely sometime tomorrow morning) I will bypass my laptop and reach for this book instead. Like those who turn to scripture in times of need, I will randomly flip to a chapter and ponder Amy's reassuring mantra that's threaded throughout: We all feel like we're sucking at this whole Mommy thing; so believe me, you're not alone (Psalm Terrible:Twos).
This book has been my self-help bible through this difficult, exhausting, guilt-ridden and anger-inducing time. It's not specifically about just the "terrible twos" but more about the oddly unnatural pressures of modern motherhood. Since we are truly the first generation of mothers who have the internet at-the-ready for all of our parenting needs, wants and inquiries, there's no longer the easy-out of the old days. Our mothers, and their mothers, and all the mothers before, can now laugh at the absurdities of child-rearing in the past and brush it off with a simple, "We just didn't know. We had no idea." No idea that smoking menthols and drinking gin all through pregnancy was a health risk. No idea that letting the 18-month old crawl around the back of the station wagon on road trips could possibly be hazardous. No idea that preschool could be such a big goddamn deal.
But alas, here we are in the 21st century where everyone knows everything. Moms can no longer sigh and shrug if off with the, "I had no idea..." excuse. Because if we dared to go there, the whole world would be quick to chorus, "Didn't you hear that news story? Didn't you read those books? Didn't you sign up for the weekly newsletters on those websites? Didn't you watch the Today Show last week???" The anxiety in wondering about all the things you're doing wrong is enough to make you ask, "So what exactly were those Mother's Little Helper pills? And where can I get some?"
Amy Wilson chronicles her experience with raising three children under the age of 10 in a way that made me cry and laugh in a cathartic commiseration. It's a fast read, and begs to be re-read as you start to remember all of the funny little truisms. I think the next time I hit my mommy roadblocks and parenting conundrums (most likely sometime tomorrow morning) I will bypass my laptop and reach for this book instead. Like those who turn to scripture in times of need, I will randomly flip to a chapter and ponder Amy's reassuring mantra that's threaded throughout: We all feel like we're sucking at this whole Mommy thing; so believe me, you're not alone (Psalm Terrible:Twos).
May 23, 2011
I think When Did I Get Like This? was written for me. As a mother of three children ages five and under, it more than warms my heart to read this book in which Amy Wilson really understands the struggles of everyday life as a mother. There are so many moments as a mother that I feel that I’m alone, but this book let me know that there is someone else out there who is going through some of the same things. As the blurb on the back of the book states, “Over the last seven years of long days with little children, I have had many moments of joy, calm, and peaceful reverie." This book is about the other moments.”
When Did I get Like This? is a memoir written by Amy Wilson made up of vignettes about her life as a mother. Amy had problems getting pregnant and was overjoyed to discover she was finally going to be a mother. Unprepared for motherhood, she struggled with breastfeeding and keeping it all together. She had two more children and her adventures continued.
I really enjoyed how Amy was able to talk frankly about her struggles to keep it all together. She was an actress before she had children and a perfectionist. She had a perfect picture of what raising children would be like and soon discovered it is nothing like you think it would be. I really identified with Amy. I’m also a perfectionist and daydreamed when I was pregnant about staying home with my son and everything I would get accomplished. I quickly discovered that plans and children do not go together.
Overall, if you are a mother or are thinking about becoming a mother, When did I Get Like This? is a must read. It’s a highly enjoyable book about the true trials, tribulations and joys of being a modern mother.
For the rest of my review, check out my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2011/...
When Did I get Like This? is a memoir written by Amy Wilson made up of vignettes about her life as a mother. Amy had problems getting pregnant and was overjoyed to discover she was finally going to be a mother. Unprepared for motherhood, she struggled with breastfeeding and keeping it all together. She had two more children and her adventures continued.
I really enjoyed how Amy was able to talk frankly about her struggles to keep it all together. She was an actress before she had children and a perfectionist. She had a perfect picture of what raising children would be like and soon discovered it is nothing like you think it would be. I really identified with Amy. I’m also a perfectionist and daydreamed when I was pregnant about staying home with my son and everything I would get accomplished. I quickly discovered that plans and children do not go together.
Overall, if you are a mother or are thinking about becoming a mother, When did I Get Like This? is a must read. It’s a highly enjoyable book about the true trials, tribulations and joys of being a modern mother.
For the rest of my review, check out my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2011/...
May 15, 2011
Every single day of my life, for the past 10.5 years, I have second-guessed myself, worried that I'm not good enough and wondered how anyone could have entrusted me with a baby or a toddler or a tween or two or three of them. Every day as I hear things I thought I would never say come out of my mouth ("Get off the roof!" "You brushed your teeth? Are you sure? Come here so I can smell your breath." "No, we do not put cheese in the DVD player!") I wonder who the woman who has taken over my life is, and where I have gone.
Amy Wilson, mother of three and author of the new book When Did I Get Like This? has apparently wondered all of the same things. Once I read the first chapter of this book, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. Or maybe, Amy is just so honest in her mothering adventures, that all of motherkind will breathe a collective sigh of relief when it reads about her neuroses, fears, and worries because really? We have all been there. No matter how perfect we try to make ourselves seem, we're really just getting through this mommy thing on a wing and a prayer, hoping that we don't scar our children for life because we yelled, lied about Santa Claus, fed them junk food, or all of the above.
I'm right about this, I know I am.
And I loved this book. Chronicling the moment she found out she was pregnant and the first fears and worries that immediately appeared, to breastfeeding, preschool shopping (in NYC, no less), and everything in between, I related to most of it. Except maybe the preschool shopping, which is one good thing about living in small-town Michigan where it is still snowing at the end of April. But I did relate to wanting the best for my child and never knowing if I was capable of actually giving her the best. But I have sure tried.
I spent several late nights reading just another chapter as I tried to keep my laughter silent, so as not to wake the four year old who has taken up permanent residence in Mommy and Daddy's bed. I have tried to evict her, but, well, she's the baby and she knows it.
"When you're FIVE, you don't get to sleep with me anymore, " I tell her, but she always lets me know in no uncertain terms that, "Oh yes I can! I will jest sneak down when you are asleep!"
Sigh. When did I get like this, indeed?
Amy Wilson, mother of three and author of the new book When Did I Get Like This? has apparently wondered all of the same things. Once I read the first chapter of this book, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. Or maybe, Amy is just so honest in her mothering adventures, that all of motherkind will breathe a collective sigh of relief when it reads about her neuroses, fears, and worries because really? We have all been there. No matter how perfect we try to make ourselves seem, we're really just getting through this mommy thing on a wing and a prayer, hoping that we don't scar our children for life because we yelled, lied about Santa Claus, fed them junk food, or all of the above.
I'm right about this, I know I am.
And I loved this book. Chronicling the moment she found out she was pregnant and the first fears and worries that immediately appeared, to breastfeeding, preschool shopping (in NYC, no less), and everything in between, I related to most of it. Except maybe the preschool shopping, which is one good thing about living in small-town Michigan where it is still snowing at the end of April. But I did relate to wanting the best for my child and never knowing if I was capable of actually giving her the best. But I have sure tried.
I spent several late nights reading just another chapter as I tried to keep my laughter silent, so as not to wake the four year old who has taken up permanent residence in Mommy and Daddy's bed. I have tried to evict her, but, well, she's the baby and she knows it.
"When you're FIVE, you don't get to sleep with me anymore, " I tell her, but she always lets me know in no uncertain terms that, "Oh yes I can! I will jest sneak down when you are asleep!"
Sigh. When did I get like this, indeed?
August 22, 2013
another new york city mommy memoir. that is supposed to be humorous. i remember very little about this book & i just finished reading it yesterday, so you can draw your conclusions from that. the chapter i remember most clearly is all about how the author constantly tells her daughter that she is beautiful & dresses her up in cunning little outfits with crinolines & frills. she justifies this by saying that it will give her daughter a needed self-confidence boost when she's in junior high (she's currently, like, two or something). i cringed. i have a daughter--who, granted, is only nine months old. i think she is pretty much the cutest baby of all time. however, there's more to life than being cute/beautiful. & i want my daughter to understand that. the author says she doesn't shower her sons with the same compliments regarding their appearances because "they don't care". she says she can tell her daughter likes it because she tells her baby doll that it is "pretty". it seemed pretty obvious to me that this little girl is just repeating what she's been told. she's internalizing the value that a little girl should be pretty & that there is no higher compliment. & hopefully this won't be too damaging to her in the long run, but she will possibly be going into junior high thinking that her looks are more important than her intelligence, or the way she treats other people, or her integrity & ambition.
i just really hate it when people treat their daughters like little dolls. ugh ugh ugh. i try really hard not to judge the way other people parent, but that's a parenting choice that makes my skin crawl.
i just really hate it when people treat their daughters like little dolls. ugh ugh ugh. i try really hard not to judge the way other people parent, but that's a parenting choice that makes my skin crawl.
December 18, 2012
This book made me laugh out loud at points! Finally I heard another mom owning up to moments of terrible weakness in her mothering journey. We've all been there and done things we regretted and the author delivers her ups and downs with humor and grace as well as a dose of lessons learned.
February 4, 2011
I had high hopes for this book and was disappointed. It was not at all "hilarious." More like mildly entertaining. Most of the author's "bad mom" moments were barely a blip on the "bad mom" scale. It was also hard to relate to her NYC lifestyle where toddlers interview for preschool and other "problems" that moms in the big city face. She seems to have taken views of motherhood to an extreme and most of the "mothers she swore she'd never be" are just ordinary moms as opposed to some mythic and usually ridiculous caricature of a modern mom. For example, when she spent all weekend working on her son's kindergarten scrapbook page for the class stuffed animal because "all the other moms did" I just thought she was crazy for even thinking that was the "good mom" thing to do. Especially since she knew it was stupid and her own kid didn't care - that was the part that made no sense. I did laugh at her story about traveling on a plane with all three kids and her daughter throwing up on her repeatedly, but at that point I think I was laughing in a mean spirited way because I found the author's neuroses annoying. I mean really, who travels on a plane with 3 kids with the main thought in mind that "everyone will see what a GREAT mom I am because I can travel with 3 kids all by myself!!!"
Just - no.
Just - no.
May 9, 2011
While I can't identify with the NYC "more-than-comfortable" lifestyle of the author, I found plenty of moments while reading this book where I breathed a sigh of relief, nodded in recognition or laughed aloud at a particularly well-crafted retelling of classic Mommy moments. Amy Wilson's humor and writing style are so appealing that I can imagine reading this for entertainment alone, did I not have two young children of my own. Part entertainment, part education, part breath of fresh air and part voyeuristic, diary-reading glimpse of another's life, I cannot recommend this book enough. Will it change your life? Perhaps not. Will it cause you to take a breath, look at the big picture and stop worrying about what the parenting magazines tell you a "good mother" does? In my case, yes. I wish I had read this shortly after my first child was born. I think I would have relaxed more, appreciated more and possibly worried less. If I had to sum up the take-away emotion in one word; reassuring. And what mother of young ones doesn't need that?
March 21, 2011
The first half was a little slow - my kids are about 10 years older than Wilson's, so it's been a while since my kids were babies (remembering it all is kind of a blur of exhaustion mixed with boredom!). The second half was more relatable, however, as I remember well the forming of these little need machines into whole human beings, with fresh ideas of their own, and wonderful senses of humor. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion.
Undoubtedly, my favorite chapter was the stuffed pig story. Why must kindergarten teachers foist bedraggled stuffed animals onto families' already packed weekend schedules? I seem to remember the "hedgehog" we were supposed to "entertain" staying in bed with strep throat for six consecutive weekends (hedgehog as petri dish?). But if we'd left the thing in my son's backpack, I too would have been the lone "bad mother." Glad those years are done!
Undoubtedly, my favorite chapter was the stuffed pig story. Why must kindergarten teachers foist bedraggled stuffed animals onto families' already packed weekend schedules? I seem to remember the "hedgehog" we were supposed to "entertain" staying in bed with strep throat for six consecutive weekends (hedgehog as petri dish?). But if we'd left the thing in my son's backpack, I too would have been the lone "bad mother." Glad those years are done!
abandoned
September 6, 2016I'm throwing in the towel in page 104, when she starts talking about going to the parental interview for Montessori preschool. I made it through her discussion of buying maternity clothes at Liz Lange on Madison Avenue, which she stresses is not "Liz Lange for Target," no, she's talking about $275 boot-cut pants. Birthing options, breastfeeding struggles, acid reflux -- that stuff I could relate to -- but overall, her upper-class NYC "normal" is too far out of my realm.
My favorite take on the adjustment to motherhood is Let the Baby Drive: Navigating the Road of New Motherhood.
My favorite take on the adjustment to motherhood is Let the Baby Drive: Navigating the Road of New Motherhood.
June 9, 2012
I loved this book! It was such an easy read. One that I could pick up and enjoy when I had a spare 5 minutes. I loved how "real" she told her story. No glossing over of the life of a mommy. It felt good to know I wasn't alone on insecurities common to moms. My favorite quote of hers really struck a chord with me, "The things a mother does well are always invisible compared to the things she does badly." It made me feel bad for the years of being a bratty teenager towards my mom but gave me hope that my son will see what I do well in some light, when he most needs to :)
November 2, 2017
Privileged wealthy stay at home mom complains about how hard it is to raise kids, even with a litany of baby sitters and all day (certainly excessively costly) nursery school. Tagged as humor, but for me it never really got there. Parts were very relatable, like the chapter discussing sleep training (damned if you do, damned if you don't!); but other parts were so far from the reality most moms face that it's nearly unbelievable- a SAHM who has hours to herself daily because two kids are at the afore mentioned nursery school and the third is with a baby sitter; no way!
August 31, 2012
Despite my low expectations - due to the title, subtitle, cover art, and general subject - I really, really enjoyed this book! I usually prefer memoir-type books when it's about something I have no experience with - mountain climbing, or farming, or fishing in outer Mongolia - but this was a really well written book on a subject that I'm currently living. I'd definitely recommend this one to my mom friends.
March 31, 2015
This felt like an off-brand copy of pretty much every popular mommy blog on the internet. There was nothing revolutionary, her attempts at relatable humor maybe fell short for me only because I've been saturated in the same tired mommy jokes for years now. Maybe a good read for a parent with no internet access or who's hit their head recently and forgotten all the blogs they've ever read.
January 3, 2017
Comical look at truths of motherhood that are often glossed over. It had me laughing, and looking at my own mothering journey. How can I let go and enjoy more? Where can I find the humor in my kids?
Enjoyable especially when you've had a hard parenting day.
Enjoyable especially when you've had a hard parenting day.
January 16, 2012
So far..this book could literally be about me as a parent. Hilarious
March 9, 2013
I thought this would be hilariously relatable but it was just boring. That is all.
September 6, 2014
Laugh out loud funny and heart warming also. Very much enjoyed this book!
December 17, 2014
It was a good book. The issue with it that I had was that I am still in the trenches and that is what she is writing about. I don't need to read about that. I'm living it.
March 25, 2017
So true and funny. It's a book I want to share with my girlfriends.
March 2, 2022
Motherhood hasn't changed much over time which is why Wilson’s book is still so relevant. This book is a laugh-out-loud memoir about how we go into motherhood with the best intentions, only to realize that motherhood isn't as perfect as expected. The stories had me laughing and crying because the moments were either so funny or so tender.
This book made me wish I could go back and do it all again. It made me realize that moms are at their best when things are at their worst. But reading this book made me realize how bittersweet raising kids is. So if you manage to carve out some self-care time, this book will make you see that there’s a whole world of overwhelmed moms out there - just like you.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/amy...
This book made me wish I could go back and do it all again. It made me realize that moms are at their best when things are at their worst. But reading this book made me realize how bittersweet raising kids is. So if you manage to carve out some self-care time, this book will make you see that there’s a whole world of overwhelmed moms out there - just like you.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/amy...
May 11, 2024
Every so often, the library's algorithm serves me up a book I'd likely never read at this point in my life; breezy parenting memoir unafraid to put down the gee-whiz-water-off-a-duck's-back tone sometime and admit how insane/degrading/wonderful motherhood can be.
August 12, 2023
Funny and fun, this book made me think and inspect myself as a mother and also made me laugh out loud multiple times.
November 1, 2014
I LOVED this book. This is a great read for ANY mom who has ever felt like they were struggling. Newsflash: We ALL are! Wilson writes very humorously about key parenting experiences. It spans everything from breastfeeding to kids sports. Here are some of my favourite quotes from the book:
"The onslaught of things we are supposed to worry about is bewildering, all the more so because it is often contradictory. Caffeine causes miscarriages! (wait, no it doesn't! Hold on, yes it does! (Sometimes!))) Wen we can't be sure that anything is safe, what are we supposed to do but worry?"
"There is always a way to fall short, and so there is always a corner of my brain reverberating: you are a failure."
"In the hands of a perfectionist like me, the birth plan was the snake in the garden, dangling the apple of an idea that there could be a 'better' or a 'best' birth, one that could in any way exceed the happy ending of a healthy baby, safe in its mother's arms, both of them whole."
"I had to breastfeed my baby, because I was going to be the best mother I could be, and on this particular point the world is rather unbudging... Formula is totally fine too, all these sources tell us, for mothers who don't really love their children."
"There was evidently a vast conspiracy of silence prohibiting anyone from telling pregnant women how hard breastfeeding would be. If we were told the whole truth, none of us would have even attempted it."
I have polled enough other mothers to believe that the legendary 'nipple confusion' is somewhat like the Yeti: while many of us have heart tell, no one has ever been an eyewitness."
"...my children were all going to have disappointments in their lives. When those times cane, it might be only a small comfort, as I now did, that whatever it was that happened, it would be completely and absolutely Mommy's fault."
"It was one of the few times I have felt my hard work as a mother was actually seen and appreciated. Fathers receive adulation like this all the time. If David (her husband) has more than one of our children under his care for more than 3 minutes, people like up to tell him what an incredible father he is, even if I'm only in the restroom. But mothers hardly ever get this kind of attention for doing what is considered to be merely our job. After all, if we are good mothers, it's not even supposed to be hard for us."
"The onslaught of things we are supposed to worry about is bewildering, all the more so because it is often contradictory. Caffeine causes miscarriages! (wait, no it doesn't! Hold on, yes it does! (Sometimes!))) Wen we can't be sure that anything is safe, what are we supposed to do but worry?"
"There is always a way to fall short, and so there is always a corner of my brain reverberating: you are a failure."
"In the hands of a perfectionist like me, the birth plan was the snake in the garden, dangling the apple of an idea that there could be a 'better' or a 'best' birth, one that could in any way exceed the happy ending of a healthy baby, safe in its mother's arms, both of them whole."
"I had to breastfeed my baby, because I was going to be the best mother I could be, and on this particular point the world is rather unbudging... Formula is totally fine too, all these sources tell us, for mothers who don't really love their children."
"There was evidently a vast conspiracy of silence prohibiting anyone from telling pregnant women how hard breastfeeding would be. If we were told the whole truth, none of us would have even attempted it."
I have polled enough other mothers to believe that the legendary 'nipple confusion' is somewhat like the Yeti: while many of us have heart tell, no one has ever been an eyewitness."
"...my children were all going to have disappointments in their lives. When those times cane, it might be only a small comfort, as I now did, that whatever it was that happened, it would be completely and absolutely Mommy's fault."
"It was one of the few times I have felt my hard work as a mother was actually seen and appreciated. Fathers receive adulation like this all the time. If David (her husband) has more than one of our children under his care for more than 3 minutes, people like up to tell him what an incredible father he is, even if I'm only in the restroom. But mothers hardly ever get this kind of attention for doing what is considered to be merely our job. After all, if we are good mothers, it's not even supposed to be hard for us."
December 14, 2010
Brilliant! Loved devouring it and would gladly read it again!
**
On breastfeeding: "I have polled enough other mothers to believe that the legendary "nipple confusion" is somewhat like the Yeti: while many of us have heard tell, no one has ever been an eyewitness" (66-67).
"I admire the mother who knows when to stop doing something that really hurts, or isn't nourishing her baby sufficiently, or is making her terribly unhappy, no matter what anyone says. Every mother is different, and so is every child" (67). Amen sister!
Chapter Twelve, aptly titled "Beginning to Develop" had me in tears. It was all about their son, Connor, who was in Pre-K and seemed to be struggling in this group. The parents decided to hold him back another year, and the author kept going back and forth with whether that was the best decision to make.. whereas the father was quick to decide and was happy with the choice. On the other hand, it didn't seem to affect Connor at all and he continued to play by himself at school, completely content with that (154).
"Only about 15 percent of the average baby clothing store is dedicated to outfits for baby boys" (169).
"My hesitation extends beyond sports, however. Even if it's just a pack of preschool moms meeting up for a coffee, even if I really want to participate, i Still wait to be asked.." (247).
**
On breastfeeding: "I have polled enough other mothers to believe that the legendary "nipple confusion" is somewhat like the Yeti: while many of us have heard tell, no one has ever been an eyewitness" (66-67).
"I admire the mother who knows when to stop doing something that really hurts, or isn't nourishing her baby sufficiently, or is making her terribly unhappy, no matter what anyone says. Every mother is different, and so is every child" (67). Amen sister!
Chapter Twelve, aptly titled "Beginning to Develop" had me in tears. It was all about their son, Connor, who was in Pre-K and seemed to be struggling in this group. The parents decided to hold him back another year, and the author kept going back and forth with whether that was the best decision to make.. whereas the father was quick to decide and was happy with the choice. On the other hand, it didn't seem to affect Connor at all and he continued to play by himself at school, completely content with that (154).
"Only about 15 percent of the average baby clothing store is dedicated to outfits for baby boys" (169).
"My hesitation extends beyond sports, however. Even if it's just a pack of preschool moms meeting up for a coffee, even if I really want to participate, i Still wait to be asked.." (247).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2019
I think if my kids were still toddlers I might have rated this a 3 star, but since mine are older it was harder to relate. Yet there were a couple lines from the book that really stood out to me:
p. 92: "The entire topic of motherhood is considered not worth one's time unless one is a mother, and maybe not even then. Motherhood is still seen as a waste of a smart woman's mind, as if motherhood were beneath her talents, rather than the job that most requires every ounce of strength and ingenuity that she possesses." I wish as a culture we put more emphasis on setting parents up for success as that should be our top priority as a parent - raising our kids in a healthy and safe environment so they can be productive members of society. Yet instead we, as a culture, emphasize our other jobs and in many cases expect that those jobs take priority over parenting. Just look at our maternity/paternity leave requirements. We are the only developed nation without mandated maternity leave. So after reading this book, that is the issue that struck the deepest chord with me - how motherhood is not seen as respected of a role as it should be, regardless of whether you are employed or not. I'll get off my soapbox now and start my next book...
p. 92: "The entire topic of motherhood is considered not worth one's time unless one is a mother, and maybe not even then. Motherhood is still seen as a waste of a smart woman's mind, as if motherhood were beneath her talents, rather than the job that most requires every ounce of strength and ingenuity that she possesses." I wish as a culture we put more emphasis on setting parents up for success as that should be our top priority as a parent - raising our kids in a healthy and safe environment so they can be productive members of society. Yet instead we, as a culture, emphasize our other jobs and in many cases expect that those jobs take priority over parenting. Just look at our maternity/paternity leave requirements. We are the only developed nation without mandated maternity leave. So after reading this book, that is the issue that struck the deepest chord with me - how motherhood is not seen as respected of a role as it should be, regardless of whether you are employed or not. I'll get off my soapbox now and start my next book...
February 25, 2016
This book was like reading my biography. Sure some of the details were changed. I haven't been to a fertile clinic, but overall it might have hit too close to home. I do enjoy reading/watching stories from other religious mothers, I feel such a draw to hearing their stories too. (The book is not overly religious, it is not preach, but she does not hid the fact that she was raised Catholic, she even eludes to purposely picking Irish Catholic baby boy names-- Conner and Seamus.) But overall the book was lacking pizzazz. I'm not sure I would have finished the book if I didn't lay on the couch sick all day. I was glad I finished it, I appreciated how she pulled it all together but I'm sure not I would have had the willpower to finish if I had the energy to get off the couch.
May 19, 2010
I had actually seen Wilson's one-woman show "Mother Load" from which this book of essays originated and really, really enjoyed both it and her new book chronicling her adventures of a mother of three young children in New York City--so much so that I've been quoting her a lot recently (mostly about what it's like to be a mom vs. a dad and her hilarious description of taking her third child to a Mommy and Me class full of first-time moms) and she is an inspiration about how we, as mothers, might actually stop being so hard on ourselves and start having more fun in the trenches of parenthood. She definitely comes across as a mom I'd like to know.
May 30, 2010
For all mothers--I have not laughed so hard in a long time. Wonderfully written experiences of this mother of 3, from pregnancy to the painful application process for exclusive Manhattan montessori schools and all the daily travails in between. I felt especially cozy with the author as she described the way her husband suggests they all go to a diner, then shuts himself in the bathroom for half an hour and leaves her to get the four other people in the family ready to go...this is a wonderful, marvelous, hilarious, poignant book that gives permission to feel imperfect and behave imperfectly during the totally terrifying process of parenting.
June 1, 2010
Anna's review below says pretty much how I felt about this book... It was cute, especially the chapter on "Mommy and Me" classes, but not life-altering or thought-provoking. The author's kids are 6, 4, and 1, while my three are all a decade older. Maybe that is one reason I thought this book was kind of "fluff": because it's been a while since I had a sleepless night or had to board a plane with 3 small children. (I'm in the throes of the teen years, which is just as harrowing.) Any way, I recommend the book as a beach read or as a "throw-in-your-diaper-bag-to-read-in-the-doctor's-waiting-room" read.
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