Parenting is Easy by Sara Given Plus a Giveaway!
PARENTING IS EASY:
YOU’RE PROBABLY JUST DOING IT WRONG
Written by Sara Given
(Workman Publishing, $10.95)
A Review & Giveaway!
Parenting is Easy: You’re Probably Just Doing it Wrong is one of those books you need to keep on hand to lift your spirits when you feel you’ve been doing too much laundry, chauffeuring too many kids, or cleaning up too many messes. It’s certain to bring loads of smiles and laugh out loud moments this holiday season (and year round) to lots of people on your gift list. And, at a little over 6″ x 6″ in size, it’ll easily stuff into stockings or make a delightful diaper cake topper for any baby shower! That’s if you don’t throw it at someone looking a little too well-dressed, a little too composed or a little too, well, perfect, first!!
If you know someone raising kids, whether those kids are bloomered little cruisers, or skinny jean sporting teens asking for the car keys, there’s something in Parenting is Easy they’ll be able to relate to. My two may already be 14 and 21 years old, but I still can’t get the grin off my face when reading about pregnancy or bringing the baby home as covered in chapters one and two! In just five fab chapters (Perfecting Pregnancy, Bringing Home Baby, Enjoying Toddlerhood, Breezing Through the School-Aged Years, and Living the Good Life) plus a dynamite intro, Given takes us on a super satisfying, tongue-in-cheek journey through parenthood by using stock advertising photos of idealized families, new moms, new dads, couples and kids that resemble NOTHING like the families, new moms, new dads, couples and kids we know. In fact, that’s what prompted Given to post a picture with a sarcastic, spot on caption that went viral (see page 66). You may even already be familiar with Given from her popular Tumblr blog, “It’s Like They Know Us.”
To give you an idea of what to expect, here’s the blurb from the back of the book cover:
“Finally, a book that proves that pregnancy is glamorous, toddlers enjoy sitting patiently, teens love when their parents dance in public, and the best place to breast-feed is on a golf course.”
Right from the start you know you’re in for some side splitting entertainment beginning with the first chapter, Perfecting Pregnancy. We’re told by Given that “Pregnancy is the first of many opportunities you will have to be absolutely confident in every decision you make for your child!” Love that humor? I sure do so when I saw the picture of two stunning, sun-dressed pregnant women strolling and the caption read …
“I just peed a little when I laughed!”
“That’s okay, I just farted. Let’s keep walking.”
… I knew I had a winner in my hands. And the best part was sitting down alongside my husband seeing who could find THE picture that showed a parenting situation that could no way, shape or form ever occur on this planet. His pick – the one of a boy choosing to eat a healthy after school snack and hang out with his mom over playing Xbox with his buddy, Isaac. I mean, wouldn’t your child do the same?
I also enjoyed how Given cleverly included one or two page guides for each chapter such as Chapter One’s Eating Healthily While Pregnant with kale being in both the Eat and Avoid columns! In Chapter Two Given answers the age old question Why Isn’t Baby Sleeping? We learn what could be keeping baby up at night is anxiety over the skyrocketing cost of college tuition. There’s also handy breast-feeding info, Dealing With Common Toddler Behaviors, advice on Mediating Conflicts With Your Teen and lots more.
So if spending time hearing about everyone’s marvelous life on Facebook has got you pulling out hair, check out the smiley, happy people in Given’s book for a good, honest laugh because her captions are brilliant and her take on perfection includes countless references to white carpet, clothing and furniture which never failed to crack me up. Enter now for your chance to win a copy and buy extra books to give friends. See for yourself just how right Given gets it and then let me know which pictures and captions were your faves.
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Love the deranged mackerel comparison…Memories! Thanks for the morning laugh. Whoever wins this book will certain enjoy it!
This book has your name written all over it, Cathy!!
Teaching kids to celebrate others and lift them up.
Thanks for stopping by, Brenda.
I am a Gramma helping raise my 5 year old Granddaughter. She can be a handful at times, but on a whole she is very well behaved and I can take her anywhere with me. The main thing I am trying to teach her is to be her own person, which is hard since she and I were both only children. I understand the shyness of it. But she is doing good and opening up more and more each day.
Thanks for checking out our blog, Sally and for entering the giveaway. Good luck!