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Jill Smokler is a superb blogger and a good, funny memoirist. She walks the line of being outrageous without being offensive. But when it comes to talking about motherhood, walking that line is kind-of trite. Smokler's 3 children are almost exactly the ages of mine, and I related to a lot of her musings: the pool sucks, your 'favorite' child changes almost by the minute, and having kids doesn't suddenly make you like kids. I like when I can nod my head while I read, savoring validation from another over-worked woman. But sometimes, it fell flat. The chapter on the 'wars' between working and stay-at-home mothers has all been said already: can't we all just get along? Apparently not.
I just don't find this book to be particularly 'scary.' In fact, it's actually mainstream. I see a backlash now where people feel smugly irreverent to admit to bribing their kids, for example. I bet mothers have done this for centuries. None of this stuff is irreverent. Or maybe I just travel in even more extreme circles.
My favorite parts of the book are twofold: one, the confessions at the beginning of each chapter, which are anonymous from Smokler's blog and not even her own doing. And two, the way she describes her daughter: "my deep love for her is combined with a mixture of awe, concern, regret, and hope." This the most profound, and most relatable and true, statement in the whole book.
I just don't find this book to be particularly 'scary.' In fact, it's actually mainstream. I see a backlash now where people feel smugly irreverent to admit to bribing their kids, for example. I bet mothers have done this for centuries. None of this stuff is irreverent. Or maybe I just travel in even more extreme circles.
My favorite parts of the book are twofold: one, the confessions at the beginning of each chapter, which are anonymous from Smokler's blog and not even her own doing. And two, the way she describes her daughter: "my deep love for her is combined with a mixture of awe, concern, regret, and hope." This the most profound, and most relatable and true, statement in the whole book.