Sneaking Out

Southwestern Writers Collection Series, The Wittliff Collections

by Prudence Mackintosh

From the endless battles of sibling rivalry to the endless worries about getting indifferent students into—and then graduated from—college, raising boys is the adventure of a lifetime for any mother. Prudence Mackintosh has not only survived the adventure but has also written about it with her signature wit and style. Her essays about life with sons Jack, Drew, and William have entertained the readers of Texas Monthly and other prominent magazines for nearly three decades, offering solace to similarly beleaguered parents and a knowing chuckle to everyone who enjoys watching the real-life sitcom of a fundamentally happy, intact family. Sneaking Out completes the story that Mackintosh began in her earlier books Thundering Sneakers and Retreads. In this collection of new and previously published essays, she recounts life with her adolescent sons as they race headlong to first jobs, first driver's licenses, first girlfriends, and first flights away from the family nest. She also follows them into the college years, when both parents and sons have to find a new balance in holding on and letting go. Along the way, she offers wise and witty reflections on being a woman at midlife, supporting her sons through the beginning of their adult lives and her parents through the end of theirs.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great vignettes about raising three boys. Don't let her puritanical name fool you. One of the best stories is about how she countered the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model posters that popped up in her sons' bedrooms by hanging Playgirl centerfolds in the kitchen. You go girl! The stories center on her boys' teen years, and show the thoughtful perspective of a mom whose children are now grown up.