What the Other Mothers Know: A Practical Guide to Child ... (ISBN 0061139866)

Perfect to read in between gassing up your hummer & your next cell phone call...:
If this represents the current status of parenting I think we should all be concerned: * "One mother's opinion is that child proofing has become a high end industry only after nannies became more affordable to the middle class. She says we have to childproof because we're afraid the nannies aren't watching the kids as closely as they should be." *Staples for the kitchen of any home with children under the age of twelve: all purpose flour, sugar, confectioner's sugar, hidden valley ranch dressing, hot dogs, chicken tenders, macaroni & cheese, canned soup and chocolate chips >In fairness to the authors they did include the ever nutritious celery and tiny bagged carrots as the vegetables on their list! * Advice includes serving on Little League boards and sucking up to private school administrators to be sure your child is "treated well" and having multiple birthday parties when there are just too many kids to include in one party. * One woman states that her instincts told her she didn't have time to be like these women yet she wanted to be sure her Jenny could "keep up" so she befriended some of them. Have we as women become so numb that we no longer listen to our instincts? It saddens me deeply to think that some of the women of our world are so concerned about their child being at the front of the line that they fail to see them for who they are rather than as another item to be managed on their blackberry. Leave this one on the shelf and spend time directly with your child instead!

Perfect for first time parents!:
LOVED THIS BOOK!! I'm not a mom. I'm a dad, of an only child, now 24 and on her own. So, my wife and I went through all the panic and angst of first-time parents a long time ago, facing each new crisis ("Arghh! What do we do now?") as it came, stumbling through as best as we could, seeking advice from others who had trod the parenting path before us. Our poor kid must've felt like a science experiment as we tried "A," "B" and "C" until we finally got it right. When we saw this book, my wife and I bought it with a mind to giving it to "first time" moms (and dads) like we were. It is fabulous. Doesn't claim to be the be-all-end-all parenting book. Rather, it delivers wonderfully on its subtitle: "A practical guide to child rearing told in a really nice, funny way that won't make you feel like a complete idiot the way all those other parenting books do." Written by three working moms who combined their years of practical experience along with that of lots of "Other Mothers" so that we can learn all those lessons the "easy way," not the "hard way." Full of tidbits and tips from birth up into elementary school, ranging from the obvious to the devious. Funny, great perspective on dealing with that new person in the family which seems so tiny, yet changes us so fundamentally. Very easy to read. The book we wish we had when our child was an infant. We have given this book to three first-time parents so far. Each of them has loved it, and thanked us profusely. We will give it to every single first time parent we know, and are telling all our younger friends about it.

Not your run of the mill parenting book:
I've read more parenting books over the years then I care to count. Each book had it's points that I related to, while others I just skimmed over. This book has something for everyone. It's funny, honest, and while some may not agree about the many social pressures of child rearing, or feeding your kid macaroni and cheese, they are facts of life. It's a little "out of the box" which appeals to me. I enjoyed it.

Finally the FUN part of parenting:
Too bad this book was too late for me but I have given it to my new mother nieces and they have loved it. I got a lot of, "Are you kidding me?" and "Shut up!" when they read about all the stuff they never even knew existed. And I said, "Oh, yes, all true." Parenthood is a minefield and THIS is the map that gets you thru it without blowing up your kid or yourself. And it's a quick easy read that you can absorb without stress because the stuff is so funny you can't forget it. Even my nephews-in-law picked it up so you know it's good if a father will read it. Now I wish they'd write one about what they know about menopause. Quick!

What other mothers know::
This is the Mother"s "Bible" on the obvious things that you usally learn by mistakes. With this book you need not "Learn by mistake" These mothers who wrote this found out and are now sharing their mistakes to the world. I use it as part of evey baby gift I send out to new Moms