Sunday May 14th, 2017 Moms at the Library

 

Whether you call her Mom, Mommy, Mother, Momma or any other of the variations of the title, today is devoted to saying thanks to our mothers and grandmothers, as well as the other women who have helped raise us. Along with traditional families, we live in the new world of single and blended or re-blended families, so the concept of Moms and motherhood has changed drastically. Along with regular moms, there are biological moms, adoptive moms, stepmoms, foster moms, and even moms who are Dads. Despite the television commercials full of fresh-faced toddlers bringing their Mom breakfast in bed, the coming of Mother’s Day can be a mixed bag of emotions. For those who have lost their Mother through death, as well as distance or estrangement, the day can be tinged with sadness, or pain. Scouring the shelves of the library for books about mothers and motherhood, it was easy to see that the image of the perfect mother is being replaced with a more realistic picture of someone who is doing their best to raise another human being. A number of humourists have taken a look at the subject with side splitting results, so this Mother’s Day, take your Mom to dinner, buy her flowers and give her a book that will bring tears to her eyes in a good way.

Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting by Ilana Wiles Wiles, the creator of the wildly successful Mommy Shorts blog, has written a book detailing the highlights and lowlights that she has encountered as she parents her daughters. In a series of essays full of occasional cringe-worthy honesty, Wiles shares stories of her mishaps, (accidently swearing, forgetting about a bake sale, wreaking a favourite outfit in the laundry) and the moments of wonder that come with having children.

Sippy cups are not for chardonnay: and other things I learned as a new Mom by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor From the moment the test turned blue, Wilder-Taylor found herself in a world of parenting “experts”, who happily doled out frequently conflicting advice and opinions on all aspects of her pregnancy and childrearing. The essays and anecdotes deal with everything from breastfeeding to playdates, in a delightful manner that mixes facts with farce.

If You Give a Mom a Martini…100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself by Lyss Stern In a combination of hilarious tales and practical tips, Stern suggests ways that Mothers, whether new or experienced can actually find time for themselves during an average hectic day. The suggestions were culled from friends, neighbours and celebrities and range from the practical to the outlandish but each is guaranteed to raise a smile.

Mother, can you not? : And you thought your Mom was Nuts by Kate Siegel This book is aimed at the child in all of us who cringes when their Mom does or says something embarrassing in public, especially in front of our friends. Told with loving frankness, Siegel details a series of adventures with her own mother for whom the concept of borders and privacy are irrelevant. These are the kind of stories that full sitcoms and lead to either laughter or years of therapy.

Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice by James Lileks For those of us born before the days of bike helmets, baby monitors and infant car seats, it is amazing that we lived to adulthood. Lileks has found a treasure trove of whimsical and frequently frightening advertisements, magazine articles and government issued pamphlets full of obsolete and dangerous ideas from everything from potty training to party ideas.

Lori Kauzlarick