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Momfidence!: An Oreo Never Killed Anybody and Other Secrets of Happier Parenting
Lose the Guilt, Love Your Instincts
If the latest “breakthrough” child-development theory, parenting technique, or child-appropriate diet makes you worry or groan (or just want to lie down for a nap), it’s time to make way for Momfidence! Paula Spencer, parenting expert and mother of four, provides refreshing, down-to-earth proof that most of the business of raising confident, healthy children involves nothing more complicated that trusting your instincts, using common sense, and above all, hanging on to your humor.
Momfidence!
•Using “perfect” only to describe such wonders as a ripe peach, a cloudless day at the beach, or a husband who does diapers and dinner. . . It has no application whatsoever in describing motherhood.
•Recognizing that there are appropriate times and places for lying, yelling, threatening, bribing, and saying “I told you so”
•Sending yourself to time-out—preferably with chocolate and/or your spouse
•Being completely amnesiac about the day’s exasperating transgressions when you peek in your children’s bedrooms at night and watch them sleep
Based on her popular Woman’s Day and Parenting columns, Momfidence! explains how obsessing less and winging it more can keep you sane—and your kids healthy and happy. It’s a hilarious look at “perfect motherhood” that cuts parents a long-overdue break by reminding us that we’re not the amateurs here—we’re all experts, too.
If the latest “breakthrough” child-development theory, parenting technique, or child-appropriate diet makes you worry or groan (or just want to lie down for a nap), it’s time to make way for Momfidence! Paula Spencer, parenting expert and mother of four, provides refreshing, down-to-earth proof that most of the business of raising confident, healthy children involves nothing more complicated that trusting your instincts, using common sense, and above all, hanging on to your humor.
Momfidence!
•Using “perfect” only to describe such wonders as a ripe peach, a cloudless day at the beach, or a husband who does diapers and dinner. . . It has no application whatsoever in describing motherhood.
•Recognizing that there are appropriate times and places for lying, yelling, threatening, bribing, and saying “I told you so”
•Sending yourself to time-out—preferably with chocolate and/or your spouse
•Being completely amnesiac about the day’s exasperating transgressions when you peek in your children’s bedrooms at night and watch them sleep
Based on her popular Woman’s Day and Parenting columns, Momfidence! explains how obsessing less and winging it more can keep you sane—and your kids healthy and happy. It’s a hilarious look at “perfect motherhood” that cuts parents a long-overdue break by reminding us that we’re not the amateurs here—we’re all experts, too.
- GenresParentingNonfictionHumor
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2006
10 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Paula Spencer
24 books6 followersPaula Patyk Spencer is an American journalist and author specializing in parenting, family life, pregnancy, and women's health. She has written or co-authored numerous books and over 400 articles for national magazines. Spencer was a contributing editor for the former Parenting Magazine and has also contributed to Baby Talk Magazine and Woman’s Day.
A native of Warren, Michigan, Spencer graduated from the University of Iowa before pursuing a career in publishing. She worked as an editor in New York City and Knoxville, Tennessee, before becoming an editorial director at Whittle Communications, where she oversaw health, parenting, travel, and lifestyle publications.
Spencer has been a senior editor at Caring.com, a website supporting adult children caring for aging parents, and has also written the Momfidence! blog on Warner Brothers’ Momlogic.com. Her expertise has led to appearances on The CBS Early Show and Oprah!. She has been a guest lecturer at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has spoken at numerous conferences and events on writing and parenting.
Her work has been recognized with several awards, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Media Award and the National Women’s Political Caucus Emma Award. Among her books are Momfidence! and Everything Else You Need to Know When You're Expecting, as well as collaborations with experts such as Dr. Harvey Karp (The Happiest Toddler on the Block) and Dr. Tracy Gaudet (Body, Soul, and Baby).
A native of Warren, Michigan, Spencer graduated from the University of Iowa before pursuing a career in publishing. She worked as an editor in New York City and Knoxville, Tennessee, before becoming an editorial director at Whittle Communications, where she oversaw health, parenting, travel, and lifestyle publications.
Spencer has been a senior editor at Caring.com, a website supporting adult children caring for aging parents, and has also written the Momfidence! blog on Warner Brothers’ Momlogic.com. Her expertise has led to appearances on The CBS Early Show and Oprah!. She has been a guest lecturer at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has spoken at numerous conferences and events on writing and parenting.
Her work has been recognized with several awards, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Media Award and the National Women’s Political Caucus Emma Award. Among her books are Momfidence! and Everything Else You Need to Know When You're Expecting, as well as collaborations with experts such as Dr. Harvey Karp (The Happiest Toddler on the Block) and Dr. Tracy Gaudet (Body, Soul, and Baby).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
January 11, 2012
This book is certainly not intended for those looking for serious parenting advice. Instead, it's a cute and fun book that introduces us to the more humorous side of parenting, giving us permission to lighten up a bit and stop letting our parental guilt get the better of us. I'd recommend it to any new mom who is fretting over every little thing (or even one who isn't).
April 10, 2019
2.5 stars. I think this book was trying so hard to be funny and relatable that it came off as inauthentic. The author contradicted herself within the chapter topics (ex: one chapter saying she never took baths because she was so busy then later saying she takes baths as a form of self care). There were some things she said that made me chuckle, but for the most part I thought she was a little arrogant and annoying. I don't think that was her intention, but I think she is probably very socially awkward and just tried too hard and didn't really know how to be relatable. I also didn't understand some of her perspectives and the battles she chose to pick as a parent, but to each their own. After reading this book, I will never even jokingly call my husband Daddyo because that got SO ANNOYING!
Overall I think this book could've used a little more organization and editing. I didn't learn anything new and it wasn't entertaining enough to keep on my shelves. Perhaps its just that my sense of humor doesn't gel well with Ms. Spencer's but if you're looking for a funny book on parenting, I'd say keep looking.
Overall I think this book could've used a little more organization and editing. I didn't learn anything new and it wasn't entertaining enough to keep on my shelves. Perhaps its just that my sense of humor doesn't gel well with Ms. Spencer's but if you're looking for a funny book on parenting, I'd say keep looking.
November 3, 2017
I loved this book. Mom-ing is the hardest dang thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve never felt like I suck at something like I do parenting sometimes. Some days are easy, and others are a struggle... and the one after that might be too.
I love that she is showing how she, as a parenting “expert” still does the things that are so instilled into us NOT to do (or you’re a horrible mom). That sometimes, the battle isn’t worth it.
Then I read fellow reviews from the crazy lady who is a nutritionist who obviously took this book way too seriously. An Oreo never hurt anybody (insert her rant about diabetes and heart disease here). You’re right, people need to make good choices and need to moderate the treats... but don’t shame moms for allowing themselves and their kids to indulge. She didn’t say she let them have the whole damn bag for breakfast every day.
At the end of the day, this book was a refreshing reminder to slow down, stop sweating the small stuff and enjoy this precious time with the most perfect little people.
I love that she is showing how she, as a parenting “expert” still does the things that are so instilled into us NOT to do (or you’re a horrible mom). That sometimes, the battle isn’t worth it.
Then I read fellow reviews from the crazy lady who is a nutritionist who obviously took this book way too seriously. An Oreo never hurt anybody (insert her rant about diabetes and heart disease here). You’re right, people need to make good choices and need to moderate the treats... but don’t shame moms for allowing themselves and their kids to indulge. She didn’t say she let them have the whole damn bag for breakfast every day.
At the end of the day, this book was a refreshing reminder to slow down, stop sweating the small stuff and enjoy this precious time with the most perfect little people.
October 3, 2007
I'm torn about this woman's advice! On the one hand, she's funny and care-free about being a mother (of four, no less - if you can laugh then, you're doing all right!) which is something I need to work harder on. On the other hand, although I can see why she does it, some things I am not ready to laugh at. So, if you are a mom who feels like flute practice, no tv and no junk food (for example) are inviolate rules in your life, you won't think this is so funny. However, her basic point is an important one in this culture of fear and anxiety: I love my kid and I love being a mom and THIS JOB IS ONLY AS HARD AS I MAKE IT! So let's all lighten up! Yah!
December 20, 2017
This book is funny in parts. The advice I don’t believe is meant to be taken literally. Her primarily goal is to make you, as a mom, chill the f*%# out (which I have noticed from a few reviews is just impossible for some people to do).
May 17, 2019
Made me laugh till I had to smother the giggles with the random stray stuffed animal lest I wake up my own crew. “Twist myself into an emotionally empathetic pretzel” is going to be my reminder to myself that it’s okay to not be the perfect parent that only exists in books and conferences.
October 26, 2011
As a mother of two, I get that we need to pick our battles, go with our gut, and not stress over the decisions or allowances we or anyone else feel might be parental shortcomings. I completely agree with that whole premise of the book.
HOWEVER...as a nutritionist and children's health advocate, I am shocked by the author's complete lack of knowledge or care toward nutrition and her outright promotion of unhealthy foods. It’s one thing to not stress over the occasional junk snack, but she displays outright scorn for healthier, whole-food, or organic lifestyle choices opting for unhealthy processed meals and snacks simply because they're cheaper and that's what her kids "will eat." (Of course they eat it, that’s what they’re accustomed to eating).
The cover alone is cause for concern. From a myriad of potential examples illustrating compromise, she chose to tout toxic stuff like Oreos as innocent and harmless...they "never killed anyone." To the contrary, evidence abounds that "trans fats, processed sugar and refined flour, the sole ingredients in Oreos (and the host of other junk foods and processed packaged foods she advocates in her book), is, in fact, contributing to the majority of fatal diseases in our country; including cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name a few. There is no safe amount of hydrogenated (trans) fats. They stay in the body a long time, mutating cells. There is also much evidence that trans fats, sugar and processed wheat/gluten, cause behavioral problems, which ironically, the book seems to be attempting to assist parents in handling. To advertise on the cover that this kind of toxic non-food doesn't really impact a child's health creates misconception and may actually perpetuate the consumption of it.
Quote: "Kids are born liking anything sweet. They're programmed that way." What a crock. People like sweet things if they've been conditioned to like sweet things. Another quote: “It’s become trendy to blame our “toxic food environment” for our veggie-rejecting kids, as if there were a golden past when kids said, “Please, sir, may I have more kale?” MY kids DO ask for more spinach/broccoli/veggies…all the time. And yes, there IS such a past, before agriculture produced processed grains, humans ate what humans are SUPPOSED to eat, what we evolved to be nourished and thrive on. (Does she believe that for millions of years kids said, “Mom, can I have some artificially processed fat sugar and flour that will eventually give me morbid diseases our species hasn’t yet known?”
It is exactly this kind of ignorance that sets kids up for the host of chronic adult diseases plaguing our country. Kids in other countries who aren't fed Oreos, cakes and donuts, DON'T prefer sweets. Our friends from Yugoslavia have kids who can't stand the "sickeningly sweet" donuts, cakes, icing and crap that abound everywhere in the States. MY kids don't crave junk because they're not fed it regularly. Please don’t use what you think kids will eat or like as an excuse to feed them poison. There are many valid points in her book about minor parental misdemeanors you shouldn’t stress over, but for the love of Pete, don’t promote that a lifestyle of unhealthy foods doesn’t affect children. It does, far beyond she obviously has ever researched.
Her argument for feeding kids garbage is, "How does a boy make it to age eighteen on jam sandwiches or to age ten without a single veggie? The latest research is: No one knows. They just do. (She) is willing to trust biology on this one." ...WHAT?? Never mind the cancers and heart disease that shows up in his thirties or forties? Or if he makes it to his fifties and sixties with all the clogged arteries, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, infertility, arthritis, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and Alzeimers. Why is this non-expert writing anything in her books about what we should feed kids? In her own words, "She doesn't care. It never seemed to be worth exploring." ...Then don't write about it. It’s detrimental to our health.
HOWEVER...as a nutritionist and children's health advocate, I am shocked by the author's complete lack of knowledge or care toward nutrition and her outright promotion of unhealthy foods. It’s one thing to not stress over the occasional junk snack, but she displays outright scorn for healthier, whole-food, or organic lifestyle choices opting for unhealthy processed meals and snacks simply because they're cheaper and that's what her kids "will eat." (Of course they eat it, that’s what they’re accustomed to eating).
The cover alone is cause for concern. From a myriad of potential examples illustrating compromise, she chose to tout toxic stuff like Oreos as innocent and harmless...they "never killed anyone." To the contrary, evidence abounds that "trans fats, processed sugar and refined flour, the sole ingredients in Oreos (and the host of other junk foods and processed packaged foods she advocates in her book), is, in fact, contributing to the majority of fatal diseases in our country; including cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name a few. There is no safe amount of hydrogenated (trans) fats. They stay in the body a long time, mutating cells. There is also much evidence that trans fats, sugar and processed wheat/gluten, cause behavioral problems, which ironically, the book seems to be attempting to assist parents in handling. To advertise on the cover that this kind of toxic non-food doesn't really impact a child's health creates misconception and may actually perpetuate the consumption of it.
Quote: "Kids are born liking anything sweet. They're programmed that way." What a crock. People like sweet things if they've been conditioned to like sweet things. Another quote: “It’s become trendy to blame our “toxic food environment” for our veggie-rejecting kids, as if there were a golden past when kids said, “Please, sir, may I have more kale?” MY kids DO ask for more spinach/broccoli/veggies…all the time. And yes, there IS such a past, before agriculture produced processed grains, humans ate what humans are SUPPOSED to eat, what we evolved to be nourished and thrive on. (Does she believe that for millions of years kids said, “Mom, can I have some artificially processed fat sugar and flour that will eventually give me morbid diseases our species hasn’t yet known?”
It is exactly this kind of ignorance that sets kids up for the host of chronic adult diseases plaguing our country. Kids in other countries who aren't fed Oreos, cakes and donuts, DON'T prefer sweets. Our friends from Yugoslavia have kids who can't stand the "sickeningly sweet" donuts, cakes, icing and crap that abound everywhere in the States. MY kids don't crave junk because they're not fed it regularly. Please don’t use what you think kids will eat or like as an excuse to feed them poison. There are many valid points in her book about minor parental misdemeanors you shouldn’t stress over, but for the love of Pete, don’t promote that a lifestyle of unhealthy foods doesn’t affect children. It does, far beyond she obviously has ever researched.
Her argument for feeding kids garbage is, "How does a boy make it to age eighteen on jam sandwiches or to age ten without a single veggie? The latest research is: No one knows. They just do. (She) is willing to trust biology on this one." ...WHAT?? Never mind the cancers and heart disease that shows up in his thirties or forties? Or if he makes it to his fifties and sixties with all the clogged arteries, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, infertility, arthritis, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and Alzeimers. Why is this non-expert writing anything in her books about what we should feed kids? In her own words, "She doesn't care. It never seemed to be worth exploring." ...Then don't write about it. It’s detrimental to our health.
October 26, 2011
As a mother of two, I get that we need to pick our battles, go with our gut, and not stress over the decisions or allowances we or anyone else feel might be parental shortcomings. I completely agree with that whole premise of the book.
HOWEVER...as a nutritionist and children's health advocate, I am shocked by the author's complete lack of knowledge or care toward nutrition and her outright promotion of unhealthy foods. It’s one thing to not stress over the occasional junk snack, but she displays outright scorn for healthier, whole-food, or organic lifestyle choices opting for unhealthy processed meals and snacks simply because they're cheaper and that's what her kids "will eat." (Of course they eat it, that’s what they’re accustomed to eating).
The cover alone is cause for concern. From a myriad of potential examples illustrating compromise, she chose to tout toxic stuff like Oreos as innocent and harmless...they "never killed anyone." To the contrary, evidence abounds that "trans fats, processed sugar and refined flour, the sole ingredients in Oreos (and the host of other junk foods and processed packaged foods she advocates in her book), is, in fact, contributing to the majority of fatal diseases in our country; including cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name a few. There is no safe amount of hydrogenated (trans) fats. They stay in the body a long time, mutating cells. There is also much evidence that trans fats, sugar and processed wheat/gluten, cause behavioral problems, which ironically, the book seems to be attempting to assist parents in handling. To advertise on the cover that this kind of toxic non-food doesn't really impact a child's health creates misconception and may actually perpetuate the consumption of it.
Quote: "Kids are born liking anything sweet. They're programmed that way." What a crock. People like sweet things if they've been conditioned to like sweet things. Another quote: “It’s become trendy to blame our “toxic food environment” for our veggie-rejecting kids, as if there were a golden past when kids said, “Please, sir, may I have more kale?” MY kids DO ask for more spinach/broccoli/veggies…all the time. And yes, there IS such a past, before agriculture produced processed grains, humans ate what humans are SUPPOSED to eat, what we evolved to be nourished and thrive on. (Does she believe that for millions of years kids said, “Mom, can I have some artificially processed fat sugar and flour that will eventually give me morbid diseases our species hasn’t yet known?”
It is exactly this kind of ignorance that sets kids up for the host of chronic adult diseases plaguing our country. Kids in other countries who aren't fed Oreos, cakes and donuts, DON'T prefer sweets. Our friends from Yugoslavia have kids who can't stand the "sickeningly sweet" donuts, cakes, icing and crap that abound everywhere in the States. MY kids don't crave junk because they're not fed it regularly. Please don’t use what you think kids will eat or like as an excuse to feed them poison. There are many valid points in her book about minor parental misdemeanors you shouldn’t stress over, but for the love of Pete, don’t promote that a lifestyle of unhealthy foods doesn’t affect children. It does, far beyond she obviously has ever researched.
Her argument for feeding kids garbage is, "How does a boy make it to age eighteen on jam sandwiches or to age ten without a single veggie? The latest research is: No one knows. They just do. (She) is willing to trust biology on this one." ...WHAT?? Never mind the cancers and heart disease that shows up in his thirties or forties? Or if he makes it to his fifties and sixties with all the clogged arteries, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, infertility, arthritis, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and Alzeimers. Why is this non-expert writing anything in her books about what we should feed kids? In her own words, "She doesn't care. It never seemed to be worth exploring." ...Then don't write about it. It’s detrimental to our health.
HOWEVER...as a nutritionist and children's health advocate, I am shocked by the author's complete lack of knowledge or care toward nutrition and her outright promotion of unhealthy foods. It’s one thing to not stress over the occasional junk snack, but she displays outright scorn for healthier, whole-food, or organic lifestyle choices opting for unhealthy processed meals and snacks simply because they're cheaper and that's what her kids "will eat." (Of course they eat it, that’s what they’re accustomed to eating).
The cover alone is cause for concern. From a myriad of potential examples illustrating compromise, she chose to tout toxic stuff like Oreos as innocent and harmless...they "never killed anyone." To the contrary, evidence abounds that "trans fats, processed sugar and refined flour, the sole ingredients in Oreos (and the host of other junk foods and processed packaged foods she advocates in her book), is, in fact, contributing to the majority of fatal diseases in our country; including cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name a few. There is no safe amount of hydrogenated (trans) fats. They stay in the body a long time, mutating cells. There is also much evidence that trans fats, sugar and processed wheat/gluten, cause behavioral problems, which ironically, the book seems to be attempting to assist parents in handling. To advertise on the cover that this kind of toxic non-food doesn't really impact a child's health creates misconception and may actually perpetuate the consumption of it.
Quote: "Kids are born liking anything sweet. They're programmed that way." What a crock. People like sweet things if they've been conditioned to like sweet things. Another quote: “It’s become trendy to blame our “toxic food environment” for our veggie-rejecting kids, as if there were a golden past when kids said, “Please, sir, may I have more kale?” MY kids DO ask for more spinach/broccoli/veggies…all the time. And yes, there IS such a past, before agriculture produced processed grains, humans ate what humans are SUPPOSED to eat, what we evolved to be nourished and thrive on. (Does she believe that for millions of years kids said, “Mom, can I have some artificially processed fat sugar and flour that will eventually give me morbid diseases our species hasn’t yet known?”
It is exactly this kind of ignorance that sets kids up for the host of chronic adult diseases plaguing our country. Kids in other countries who aren't fed Oreos, cakes and donuts, DON'T prefer sweets. Our friends from Yugoslavia have kids who can't stand the "sickeningly sweet" donuts, cakes, icing and crap that abound everywhere in the States. MY kids don't crave junk because they're not fed it regularly. Please don’t use what you think kids will eat or like as an excuse to feed them poison. There are many valid points in her book about minor parental misdemeanors you shouldn’t stress over, but for the love of Pete, don’t promote that a lifestyle of unhealthy foods doesn’t affect children. It does, far beyond she obviously has ever researched.
Her argument for feeding kids garbage is, "How does a boy make it to age eighteen on jam sandwiches or to age ten without a single veggie? The latest research is: No one knows. They just do. (She) is willing to trust biology on this one." ...WHAT?? Never mind the cancers and heart disease that shows up in his thirties or forties? Or if he makes it to his fifties and sixties with all the clogged arteries, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, infertility, arthritis, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and Alzeimers. Why is this non-expert writing anything in her books about what we should feed kids? In her own words, "She doesn't care. It never seemed to be worth exploring." ...Then don't write about it. It’s detrimental to our health.
September 24, 2012
While I do a lot of what the author does, I don't agree with her on some of the topics. Food preparation is high priority for me, unlike her. But then my kids aren't nearly as picky as hers. Reading about her son who won't eat any other meat but chicken nuggets of a particular brand makes me feel better about my daughter's eating quirks like suddenly hating dishes she once loved, wanting to put raisins on all her food, refusing water 99% of the time, and eating two bites then claiming she's full when I rushed fixing her dinner because she said she was hungry. In fact it makes me celebrate the fact that she likes okra and curry. Anyway, it's a good reminder that moderation and relaxation and just plain enjoying your kids are essential to parents.
Actually what I liked best were the trivia. Supposedly Mattel once had Barbie dump Ken for an Australian surfer named Blaine?! And there were Bratz baby dolls in thongs? Those things don't make it to my country, I guess. Thank goodness. She also mentioned some childproofing devices which I'd never heard of but sounded completely ridiculous. Then there's the truth stranger than fiction anecdote of her kids jumping on a dead whale. Which I'm sure is something my daughter would do given a chance!
Actually what I liked best were the trivia. Supposedly Mattel once had Barbie dump Ken for an Australian surfer named Blaine?! And there were Bratz baby dolls in thongs? Those things don't make it to my country, I guess. Thank goodness. She also mentioned some childproofing devices which I'd never heard of but sounded completely ridiculous. Then there's the truth stranger than fiction anecdote of her kids jumping on a dead whale. Which I'm sure is something my daughter would do given a chance!
February 2, 2015
3.5 stars. For a parenting book, this is a great one. Written by a mommy magazine regular, Momfidence by mother of four Paula Spencer is a book for those of us who don't or don't WANT to buy the hype that there is a necessarily a RIGHT way to parent every child. Her views on issues like picky eaters (they won't die or starve and worrying yourself into a year of insomnia won't help anyone), sibling rivalry (of course it will happen and you can't avoid it no matter how many books claim you can), children's unavoidable individuality (doesn't matter if they all spring from the same gene pool, what works for one will not necessarily work for all), television (sure, reasonable rules, but it's part of life) and extracurriculars for kids under 10 (she signed her kids up for a sports and crafts daycamp- they begged to not go the following year because there was no time "to play" there) are a breath of fresh air in a genre of books usually dominated by "This is a problem, here's how mom needs to fix it, and if she deviates from this plan, her child will be doomed forever." I laughed, nodded, and enjoyed her writing and obvious love for her children. Good read.
July 15, 2008
With my first child I engrossed myself in reading all the advice by experts in books, magazines, online, whatever I could get my hands on. I tried all the different techniques for feeding, sleeping, disciplining, potty training, you name it. But when it boiled down to it there really WERE no "correct" answers to my problems. When my second child came around she was so different from my first, and I learned that parenting is about trial and error, and going by your own instincts for your individual child. Reading this book just validated my opinion on that. I think she may be a little too "hands off" in her parenting for my liking, but it kind of shows you that whatever your style is, is OK. Now don't get me wrong I still like to brainstorm ideas with my friends and family when my kids are in one of their "phases" but I don't stress about it and think I'm doing something wrong when they don't act just perfectly.
August 5, 2009
What a relief to know there is a mom in this world that has the guts to publish real life useful advice. I came across this author while reading in a baby magazine. I enjoyed her honest perspective on mommy hood and saw that she had authored this book.
She has a great attitude on life and how kids will somehow manage to survive childhood, even if we have to feed them the one and only item they will allow in their diet for possibly years.
It made me feel like I’m not doing such a bad job myself and gave warning to avoid the silly “mompitition” that exists in our crazy busy lives today. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff so to speak.
While I agreed with the author 95% of the time, take her advice with a grain of salt. She is one mom in this world of billions of other moms which doesn’t’ necessarily make her a guru on every issue.
Enjoyable, entertaining read. Recommended for any moms to be or moms of little ones like me.
She has a great attitude on life and how kids will somehow manage to survive childhood, even if we have to feed them the one and only item they will allow in their diet for possibly years.
It made me feel like I’m not doing such a bad job myself and gave warning to avoid the silly “mompitition” that exists in our crazy busy lives today. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff so to speak.
While I agreed with the author 95% of the time, take her advice with a grain of salt. She is one mom in this world of billions of other moms which doesn’t’ necessarily make her a guru on every issue.
Enjoyable, entertaining read. Recommended for any moms to be or moms of little ones like me.
February 12, 2008
Now this is certainly not a cerebral book. However, it has to be one of my top ten of all time. I am surrounded by friends and family who have taken the art of child-rearing and raised it to a level of obsessive psychosis (to put it mildly). I am of the belief that if I give my child love, food, make her feel safe and water her periodically she will become who she is meant to be--in spite of me. This book reinforces my notion that we cannot (should not) hover endlessly and it does it in a damn funny way. I have read it several times and I laugh out loud each and every time. I highly recommend it to any mom, or dad, who has found themselves held hostage in a playgroup where the preschool point system discussion somehow makes you feel as if you have missed a memo!
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August 1, 2007I just finished reading Paula Spencer's Momfidence! as part of my "researching" parenting literature. I feel that Momfidence! is another excellent book on not stressing out about raising children, however it would better apply to me if Luna was an older toddler/preschooler/young elementary age, or if I had more that one. Paula has 4 kids, each about 2 years apart. Paula is also a writer so she talks about the particular personal problem of having to sort of be in the moment as a mom and also observe being a mom in order to write about it. She doesn't talk too much about what her family does while she's interviewing people though.
June 16, 2012
Loved it! I guess it depends on your parenting style, but I found this book to be hilariously accurate most of the time. A thriving child who lives on nothing but chicken nuggets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a year...sounds familiar! Trying to sneak off on an "alone time" walk, only to have your little kiddo's all chime in "please, please can I go", and then giving in and letting them...very familiar! Taking a nice family walk on the beach, only to discover your kids jumping up and down on a dead, beached whale...and your husband no where to be found...hasn't happened yet, but if we lived by the beach, this scene would have TOTALLY been relatable for me!
July 19, 2008
I absolutely loved this parenting book!! The author has four children and she takes a realistic look at motherhood. Her philosophy is that you can read what experts have to say but in the end you must trust yourself, have confidence in your parenting abilities and don’t take life too seriously. I actually laughed out loud. You should tell every mother you know about this book—especially mothers of young children!! This is a good book to own so you can read a page or two in the moments when you feel like your kids are driving you crazy.
December 8, 2008
I'm torn on this book. On the one hand, it was laugh-out-loud funny in several parts. I love the authors encouragement for us to let go of guilt we feel as mothers for not meeting up to external standards, etc. However, I also think it's okay to choose not to let our kids eat too much junk food or watch too much TV. In the end, I definitely recommend this book for those who need to lighten up as parents or for those who already feel pretty laidback in a number of ways and just want some good laughs.
October 27, 2009
I really liked this book. It´s not often that I find a non-fiction so appealing and a page turner. One thing I really liked was that there were several things and ideas she had that I did not agree with, but that made me think of what my opinion was on that particular issue of rasing children. Then there were some things that made me realize that I take a lot of things too seriously, things that I should just relax about. Well, it has made me feel a little more comfortable of what I´m doing as a mom. I will re-read this one.
July 30, 2007
A fun read that's designed to dispel the "hover mother" syndrome that parenting magazine articles and their "experts" promote. Paula Spencer gives a refreshing dose of common sense--an Oreo never killed anyone, and your kids don't need to be in seven scheduled activities at age 5. She's not quite as funny as two of my favorite mom-writers, Anne Lamott and Amy Krouse Rosenthal, but this was an enjoyable book.
January 29, 2008
Beyond great. I love her stories about raising her 4 kids. She writes a parenting column and I love that she is very grounded. She really means it when she says an oreo cookie never killed anybody. She makes you feel less guilty about the choices you make as a parent. You begin to realize that all parents make mistakes and learn from them. I laughed out loud so much when I read this book. Well worth reading for any moms-new or "broken in".
August 21, 2008
Ehhh (said with a shoulder shrug), it was okay. Spencer is very funny, but a lot of it was like reading my life expect she has 1 boy and 3 girls and two incomes with a huge house (imagine more than one bathroom). Whimp!
Some of the advice she said was spot on! I loved her discussion and defense of "mom pants." But her confession that she never once helped out in a child's classroom or went on a field trip...Come on!
I hate to admit it, but this is a bathroom read.
Some of the advice she said was spot on! I loved her discussion and defense of "mom pants." But her confession that she never once helped out in a child's classroom or went on a field trip...Come on!
I hate to admit it, but this is a bathroom read.
June 19, 2008
I think we (including myself) are so caught up in the *right* way to raise our kids. I think we are missing the part where kids just get to be kids and enjoy simple things in life. The problem comes when they are involved in so many classes/activities that they don't know how to be a kid. They don't know how to play. From this book I have a new sense of confidence-momfidence! I'm trusting myself and just winging it-and that's okay! (or it will be....I'm not totally there yet! haha)
March 14, 2008
Hilarious! I could hardly put it down. She definitely boosted my confidence as a new mom. Suddenly much of what I was crazed over seems silly. Many, many times I've talked myself off the ledge by remembering that an oreo isn't going to kill my kids. ALL moms need this book - especially the ones who worry uncontrollably.
September 18, 2009
As a new mom, I appreciate this book. The stories the author provides are silly and often a little over the top but most of her "Momfidence is..." advice at the end of each chapter is reasonable. I don't agree with everything (but do any 2 parents really ever agree on everything anyway?). For the most part - a good read.
February 23, 2012
I enjoyed this practical parenting book encouraging moms (and dads) to be real in this current age where super parenting and super kids seems to be taken to the extreme. The author is honest, down to earth and seems to understand that what matters to kids is to have parents who love them and show it by spending time with them. She sounds like the kind of mom I would love to be friends with.
August 10, 2007
Helped me realize it's okay to be laid back as a mom. I was thrilled to discover that I have more momfidence than I would have guessed. One of the best books about being a mom, especially if you have more than one kid.
September 8, 2007
Bathe your child once a week? Forget to send their forms to school? Let them carry playdough around your house? Watch hours of TV? Eat chicken nuggets every night for a year? Foggeddahboutit. They all turn out fine in the end if you love 'em. Or so says the book that validates my parenting sytle.
February 5, 2008
Wow! Did this book ever relate to me and the way I parent my children. It made feel a lot better, that's for sure! The author knows how to be truly honest with herself and it comes across in her writing.
February 19, 2008
This book is HILARIOUS! It's not a novel, but by a woman who writes articles for Parent's magazines and other publications. She has a very refreshing, non-guilt tripping way of going through the experiences of motherhood. I HIGHLY recommend it to all mothers.
March 13, 2008
The book is a great book for mothers who are starting out or are pregnant. For a veteran mother like myself, I did not get really much out of it, except cute, quirky stories that remind me of my household.
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