A review by ovenbird_reads
My Mother Wears Combat Boots: A Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us by Jessica Mills

5.0

This book on pregnancy and parenting from birth to age 5 was incredible. It doesn't sugar coat the challenges that come with having a child and yet maintains a sense that wonderful things can happen through hard work and dedication. This book is not just about how to raise a child but how to reenvision yourself--making parenthood part of your essential identity. It's about balance and parenting that is political, active, and maybe even radical. Jessica Mills presents a careful account of the things that will come up when you have a baby--gender roles, the TV debate, how to balance your own needs with that of your child and your partner if you have one. She presents concrete strategies for addressing everything from cloth diapering to girls who want to be Princesses but always encourages the reader to use only what makes sense in the context of their own family, to mix and match, and to constantly tailor and revise approaches to mesh with their own values. I really enjoyed this book and believe it will be very helpful in the future if I have a child of my own. While I didn't agree with every tactic or strategy I got the sense that Mills would be totally okay with that. She asks you to question and push against entrenched ideas of what it means to be a parent and how to relate to your child.