More and more these days, women are taking to social media to talk about what life is really like for moms. They share their experiences, and they joke about the mishaps and the mom buns. And in Cat & Nat’s Mom Truths: Embarrassing Stories and Brutally Honest Advice on the Extremely Real Struggle of Motherhood, Catherine Belknap and Natalie Telfer offer their own take on mom life.
This humorous collection tells it like it is: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes together and sometimes individually, the authors share their experiences from pregnancy and giving birth to those exhausting days deep in the mom trenches. As mothers of seven kids between them, they know all about things like mom guilt, the craziness of raising toddlers, and the joys of time away. And they tell all of their stories in a way that’s often funny, sometimes shockingly candid, and always relatable.
Motherhood definitely isn’t easy. It’s an often thankless job that requires long hours, hard work, sleepless nights, and a whole lot of judgment from outside sources. And that’s why most moms are constantly on the lookout for a support system—for others who know what it’s like and can support them, encourage them, and laugh about the ridiculous day-to-day mishaps. Admittedly, though, that perfect mom squad can be tough to find—so if you don’t have a squad of your own, Cat and Nat are decent substitutes. They’re open and sometimes outrageously honest. More than just owning up to their mistakes, they’re able to laugh about them. And they offer advice on the most unexpected topics.
Of course, that’s not to say that this is a book of parenting how-tos; the authors make that point very clear. They freely admit that they’re not experts. They’re just a couple of women who have been there, done that, and lived to tell the (often hilarious) stories. So if you’re looking for tips on how to be the perfect mom, this book probably won’t give you the sage advice that you’re seeking (and, let’s be honest here: no one knows how to be the perfect mom). It will, however, do something that’s even more important: it will remind you that, while you will never be the perfect mom, you’re pretty awesome just the way you are.
After another long day of taxiing kids to school and soccer practice and dance lessons, followed by complaints about the dinner that you frantically prepared, it’s important to have friends who have your back. But, in a pinch, sitting down to laugh about the craziness of motherhood with Cat and Nat is a pretty good substitute. You may not learn about the best way to sleep train or discipline or set your toddler up for acceptance into an Ivy League school, but it’ll definitely make you feel a whole lot better about your own motherly foibles.
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