The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers (Book) Review
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A Guide to Surviving the Toddler Years Author Dawn Dais takes readers on a crash course through the art of parenting a toddler. Using a generous portion of real life anecdotes from her adventures raising her young daughter and soon to be toddler son, Dais provides both helpful tips for dealing with the many crises […]
A Guide to Surviving the Toddler Years
Author Dawn Dais takes readers on a crash course through the art of parenting a toddler. Using a generous portion of real life anecdotes from her adventures raising her young daughter and soon to be toddler son, Dais provides both helpful tips for dealing with the many crises that occur on a daily basis in a house with young children, as well as commiseration for other mothers of young ones who may be feeling just a bit overwhelmed. The attitude of the book is a one of “we are all in this together”, which is helpful for those who might feel as though they are the only ones who struggle with getting this whole motherhood thing right.
This is a book that does not take itself too seriously. It’s broken up into chapters that signify various important toddler life elements, such as “You suck at this. It’s not just your imagination” and “Remember when you judged other parents?”, but behind the obvious bits of snark and sarcasm are some very helpful insights for parents who are either nearing the toddler years, or are already knee deep in potty training. Though there are plenty of ideas on how to help ease your kids into various milestones like sleeping through the night or finally sleeping through the night, it’s more of a “how to survive” manual for parents than a volume on how to have the perfect toddler (spoiler – that’s not going to happen).
In addition to the knowledge and anecdotes from the author herself, plenty of other voices chime in on the different topics covered in the book. These include a diverse group of moms who chime in at the end of each chapter with their own experiences in each stage of toddlerhood. This gives both a clear understanding that no one is really killing it in the toddler game, and that mothers come in all shapes and sizes, and that’s okay. Rounding out the commenting team in The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers are a couple of professionals. Both are licensed clinical social workers, as well as moms, so they offer a slightly different view to many of the issues. Overall, the variety of voices heard in the book help give a variety of different perspectives on toddler life.
The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers is an amusing look at surviving the toddler years. Though you’ll find more “hang in there” than “this is how you do it” within these pages, it’s a fun read that should help struggling mothers feel a lot less alone.