“Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms” by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile
April 21–25
While Tricia Ashworth and Amy Nobile were researching their earlier book, I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, the dirty little secrets started pouring out: the woman who admitted to sneaking cigarettes with her husband in the minivan while the kids watched movies inside the house to the mother who had her children wear their school clothes to bed each night. Hence the creation of this small, sinful read–Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms–that will make you feel good about your parenting skills when you’re having one of those days.
If your biggest fear as a mother is being judged by other mothers, you need to read this book: if only to know that you’re not alone.
But don’t stop with simply reading the book. Jump into our discussion and admit your own dirty little secrets of motherhood. The grand prize is a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.
Where to find more about Dirty Little Secrets of Motherhood and authors, Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile:
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Mommy Track’d interviewMarin Independent Journal interview
MSNBC interview |
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I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids | |
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Here’s what MotherTalk reviewers are saying about Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms: Coming Soon!
Plain Jane Mom thinks first-time moms might be a little freaked out, but goes on to say “I will share with you my absolute favorite quote: “My seven-year-old-son walked in on us having sex. We told him we were doing karate in bed.†I want to meet that mom — that chick is hilarious!”
The Leery Polyp says “Whether funny or illuminating, about half the Secrets were fun as heck to read.”
BlondeMomBlog says “This is a fun collection of page by page “momfessionals†that would make a great Mother’s Day gift.”
Artificially Sweetened wants to know if anyone has secrets other than the dirty variety and adds: “I envisioned Dirty Little Secrets as a “break glass in case of emergency†stash of those moments that remind you that you are not the worst mom in the world - or at least that the world is full of equally awful moms.”
They Grow in Your Heart had unease over a few of the secrets and adds: “There are also some nuggets of wisdom in here that should make us all feel a lot better about the bad days that you KNOW we all have. Things like admitting to being worried about judgment from other moms. And loving your children, but having that love develop over time.”
Black Belt Mama says “Being a parent, more often than not, is just a daily game of survival-and often, I would easily get voted off this island. Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms is a book to revel in our imperfections. Mothers tend to ‘withhold the truth’ from other mothers, as if revealing our imperfections somehow makes us a failure. Instead, we bottle it up and act like everything is perfect and balanced.”
Though Ask Moxie thought that some of the secrets were probably more commonly-shared than moms think, Sticky Feet says “Not that long ago I was given some very good advice — take the ’should’ out of my life. I ’should’ make a five-course meal every night. I ’should’ play with Bo every second he is awake. I ’should’ be little miss Suzie Homemaker. I ’should’ do lots of things…I love that this book, in a nutshell, says ‘to hell with the shoulds‘.”
Though Uncommon Misconceptions didn’t find the confessions shocking, she admits “There are a few great, laughable quotes, and a handful more that had my moms’ night out group scribbling notes.”
So Close says “Dirty Little Secrets is like Post Secret, for moms. The books is a collection of ’secrets’ written by moms. Some of the secrets were really funny, some of them reminded me of myself (’My kids yell because I yell at them’), but the book left me with an underlying sense of sadness. Because despite its claim to make you feel less alone if you sometimes feel like the ‘less than perfect mom’, the fact that some of these were considered ‘dirty secrets’ made me sad. To me, it just highlights how pervasive the myth of ‘perfect parenting’ is.”
Lastly, Magpie Girl says “Ever catch your kids flinging a curse word out in public that they obviously learned from you? Slugged back a cocktail from a sippy cup? How about sneaking out to the minivan during Sesame Street for a quick smoke? Funny survival tactics fill these pages giving you a laugh track – and a buddy – for this crazy thing we call motherhood.”
