Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms

by Trisha Ashworth, Amy Nobile

Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile conducted interviews with hundreds of mothers while researching their best-selling book I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. It didn't take long before these moms began to reveal their Dirty Little Secrets—surprising, thought-provoking, guilty confessions they hadn't told anyone else. Cringe-worthy moments ("I bit my daughter's finger trying to steal a bite of her cookie.") meet real insights ("I love my kids but I didn't always. It took time to fall in love with them."). These are the private thoughts that every mom hasand every mom can relate to.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Humor

112 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2008

About the author

Trisha Ashworth lives in Northern California with her husband and three children.

Reviews

[Marjanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really short, and I think most people could read it in 20 minutes. I appreciate that the authors are trying to make women feel more normal about the way they cope with their children and motherhood, but I started feeling really judgmental as I was reading this. For the most part, it wasn't really a big deal. Believe me, I cut corners in my own way to and say thing I regret. But I have a hard time with a 4 year old using the 'F' word. To me that's not funny or ok. Maybe I'm too sensitive.

[Kory · Rating 1 out of 5]

DID NOT DID NOT DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK!!! Seriously, this is not cute or funny. It is sad and depressing and I want to save the children from anyone who contributed to this pile of crap parenting. I want to write a book and mail it to the contributors called "Words of Wisdom from Parents Who Wanted Their Kids.”

[MCate51 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was entertaining, but took less than ten minutes to read. I wouldn't call it a book, so much as a list. I read the Kindle version. There was one sentence at the top of each page--no pictures. So glad I didn't pay money.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read another one of their books and had hoped that this book was similar....I was incredibly disappointed that it was really just one "dirty little secret" per page.
I can say that the secrets themselves were pretty good.

[Annabelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here's a book that's supposed to keep moms from feeling guilty for the random, subliminal negative thoughts and impulses that come with motherhood. Just as Eat, Pray, Love appealed mostly to readers living in first-world countries, majority of mothers in third-world countries, barely surviving a hand-to-mouth existence, won't find any humor here.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super quick read. Found a few quotes funny, a few were sweet, some I related to for sure, but a majority of them weren't so great... I suppose some people would find them humorous, though.

[Chrissy DeVore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny but too short! Guess this is the only size book I have time to read now anyway
😏

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't realize that this was going to be such a quick read. It's just a collection of admissions from moms. It was good but I finished it in about 15 mins.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super short.. and all I’ll say is that I feel like a better mom than I did when I started reading this 15 minutes ago...

[Karol · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can only do what you can do as a mom.
Some familiar relatable secrets.

[Chelsea Phelan-Tran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short and pretty funny. To be honest I just read it to finish up my reading challenge. Lol

[Logan peyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed these laughs and honesty from other moms

[Litwithlove · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is going to be the shortest of short reviews ; this book is boring and wholly unoriginal in its contents. It's the same stuff you see in every other run of the mill "mad mom" book. (Which I really actually enjoy, so it's not like the genre is something I generally avoid)

[Beckie · Rating 5 out of 5]

each page has a mom's dirty little secret...and we all have them. this is a wonderful book for a quick pick-me-up when if you are having a bad day. and it just shows that you are not alone! it is from the authors of 'i was a really good mom before i had kids', another book that all moms should read. i want to buy both of these books because they would help when i am having a bad day - just reading something funny from another mom helps me get through the madness.

a quote from the book: 'I fear being alone with all three of my kids for any extended period of time. Like an hour or more.'

my dirty little secret from yesterday: hunny and i have a box of fannie may pixies in the fridge that gage doesn't know about. i popped one into my mouth and our son walked in and asked what i was eating. i said a carrot; do you want one? he said no and walked away. i am so bad - lol.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you ever have a day where you think you may not be the best mom, you should pick up this book. First, you can read the book in about 15 minutes (at most). It's one secret per page and there are some good ones in there. I really like the one where the mom signed her son up for karate becuase she thought the instructor was hot. The authors wrote another book (first) called "I was really a good mom before I had kids". I think I'll pick it up. Basically, they talked to about 100 moms and these secrets came about from those 100 moms. While they didn't want them in their first book they thought they should share them with the masses and that's how Dirty Little Secrets came to be. Fun times!

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me laugh outloud. It contains quotes from actual women about the things they do as mothers that they probably would never admit if it their words weren't anonymous. Among my favorites:

My kids don't wear pj's on weeknights. They go to bed in their school clothes so I don't have to fight with them about their outfits in the morning.

I let my two toddlers eat Milk Bones right out of the box. I figure if they're not barking, they're fine.

I told my four-year-old daughter that it's illegal to get married before you're twenty-nine.

Note to husband: Dinner? Don't even ask. There is no dinner. There will never be dinner. Just stop coming home hungry. Unless you have a plan, there will be no plan. And by the way, I'm hungry too.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a waste of paper. There is one quote on each page of the book. It took me about 10 minutes to read the whole book. The quotes were from mothers who are deceptive to their children, friends, and husbands . . . ie. having a diner catered and passing it off as your own cooking. I don't understand people like that. I am not a perfect mother but I find it much easier to collaborate with other moms and support each other than to judge and nit pick how others choose to parent their kids. I suppose there is an element of humor to some of the quotes. Still, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

[Jenette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother with this read. When the book title says "dirty" that is an understatement. Try disgusting. Would have been much better if it was about dropping a lamb chop on the floor, picking it up, dusting it off and serving it to the family anyway, kind of dirty. I was appalled at the content of this book. I can't believe some of the things these woman do! I can honestly say I do not fit this category of women. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I just kept thinking "and these woman are raising a future generation? WOW!" A book worth burning if you ask me.

[carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile conducted interviews with hundreds of mothers while researching their best-selling book I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. It didn't take long before these moms began to reveal their Dirty Little Secrets surprising, thought-provoking, guilty confessions they hadn't told anyone else. Cringe-worthy moments ("I bit my daughter's finger trying to steal a bite of her cookie.") meet real insights ("I love my kids but I didn't always. It took time to fall in love with them."). These are the private thoughts that every mom has and every mom can relate to.

[Katelyn Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the comments saying this is short and could be read in 20 minutes were exagerrating. Nope! There were a few amusing entries but overall this is lame. It lacks validity because none of the quotes are attributed so my guess is the "authors" said most of them or heard their girlfriends say the others then popped these into a book they hope someone will buy in the checkout line at Hallmark.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! It's so great because it has little snippets from mothers - all anonymous - about what they do to keep their sanity..
from dealing with children, to other annoying moms, to husbands, to just life in general.

Here's an example:

"My shrink tells me we have to laugh more. What a waste of money."

I would read these snippets and just bust out laughing ~ I want my own copy!

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great idea but fell short. I read the whole book in about 5 minutes. And some of the stories aren't funny, they are really sad. I am not perfect. I am not close to perfect, but really? I can't believe that people do these things and that someone put them in book so we can think it is "normal". People do things they aren't proud of. I get that. But we don't need to celebrate it and put a cupcake to make it look like a party. Laughing at it doesn't make it okay.

[Smschade · Rating 2 out of 5]

It only contains quotes. Short stories would have been better. Some are funny but I was suprised at how many illustrated children copying their parents' bad language. I laughed at maybe 35-40%. I did love the one about dinner and telling your husband to stop coming home hungry. It is fun to read if you are waiting somewhere for 10-15 minutes but not worth having a copy sitting around your house.

[Karianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely perfect for me. Very short, funny, and I read it right when I was needing it most! For any mom that has ever felt like she doesn't measure up, this book is for you. Favorite quote:

Note to husband: Dinner? Don't even ask. There is no dinner. There will never be dinner. Just stop coming home hungry. Unless you have a plan, there will be no plan. And by the way, I'm hungry too.

I cracked up laughing!

[Marcee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super quick read. Each page has just one secret on it so I read it in about 20 mins. It does make you realize that every mom has coping methods even if they seem like "the prefect mom". Also it helps you realize that it is perfectly normal to love your kids and not always like them that much :)

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. It is by the authors of I was a A Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. Each page has a quote like the Dirty Little Secrets in that book. It took about 20 min. to read. Some of them I related to, others I laughed hysterically at. Pick it up after I was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids....

[Noran Miss Pumkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was able to view most of the book on line this morning and my lord was I in horror on it's contents! It is not cute little stories of mother prefect mother, when they are mortal like us regular mothers--it is BAD mother stories, some that would make me think about reporting them to DCSF!
The stories are one-three lines, and one to a page. So not alot to the book either.

[Yolibear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit some of the stories in this book are on the verge of child abuse. But some of them are things I have done, and things that make me realize that I don't have to be perfect. Because there will always be another mother out there more screwed up than me. Quick read. Try not to take it so seriously like some of the mothers on here did.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this little book while the kids were in the tub. Hard to call it a book, more like a collection of confessions from Moms, re: their dirty little parenting secrets. I laughed at the mom who forget to pick her kid up from kindergarten b/c she got wrapped up in a VH1 Rockumentary. That is so me.

[Whitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this after seeing it on Oprah a year ago. I think all mothers constantly feel guilt, no matter the situation. This book was supposed to help not feel the guilt. I was shocked with some of the things people were willing to reveal. I realized I'm actually a decent mother. I am doing so much more than most of these women in this book are. What a waste of time.