Friday, August 22, 2008
The Parent Trip. What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been
Posted by Missy W. @ 3:31 AM
The Parent Trip - From High Heels and Parties to High Chairs and Potties
By Jenna McCarthy
MSRP $14.95
Ages 18 yrs and up
Jenna McCarthy is one funny mother. (No, not Jenny McCarthy, although I suppose she is funny, too.) Jenna McCarthy started her writing career in New York for the glamorous Seventeen magazine. Dude. Back in the day, I soooo wanted to work at that magazine. My inner teenager was a wee bit jealous as I read McCarthy’s bio. Anyway, McCarthy’s bicoastal career eventually led her to Santa Barbara where she became a radio talent, a mother of two, and a very, very funny writer of the book The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of parenting books; I have an entire bookshelf dedicated to them and they pretty much all make me feel inadequate. Not so with The Parent Trip. It’s more like reading the diary of one of your more humorous friends - a diary that spans pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and the first year of parenting. McCarthy touches on the highs and lows of pregnancy, labor, navigating the evils of a new mom’s group, breastfeeding, toys, the first vacation, you get my drift. All that crap we never thought we’d spend dozens of hours agonizing about as new mothers.
That’s not to say that there are no parenting tips in this book, but McCarthy’s tips (Trip Tips) are a leetle more enjoyable and not anywhere near the “if you don’t follow these tips you will be a miserable excuse for a parent” arena. For example, the first Trip Tip category is entitled, “Why It’s Better to Be You Than Gwen Stefani.” McCarthy reminds us that it is way more enjoyable to look like Sumo wrestlers than the faces that grace US Weekly, “At first you might feel a special kinship with these women, but then you realize that’s an absurd notion. Why? Because these women are not actually human, so comparing yourself and your pregnancy to theirs is like comparing your bank account or botox-free line to theirs.” Another great Trip Tip - “Not Every Burp Belongs in the Baby Book” - she has fill in the blank categories such as, “Before getting pregnant I wanted to have ––––– babies. Now I want to have –––––– babies.” Nothing like a little realism along the often less than glorious road of pregnancy.
One of my favorite sections is when she discusses her (usually likable) husband. I’m pretty sure ALL of us have had this conversation with our husbands, whether out loud or just in his head. Her husband had the naivete to actually say aloud to Jenna, “‘I’m not really enjoying this pregnancy.’ It’s all I can do to not rip the beer bottle out of his hand and crack it over his skull. ‘You’re not enjoying it?’ I spit, stuttering and stammering furiously. ‘You’re not enjoying it? Really? Because its’ a freaking joyride for me! i love dry-heaving into the toilet eleven times a day! I love that none of my clothes fit! I love feeling starving all the time even though I can’t think of a single food that sounds palatable. I love that I can’t sleep on my back, and let me tell you, decaf coffee is seriously underrated. That stuff’s fantastic.’” I don’t even need to comment do I? I know for a fact that my husband wanted to ship me off for at least the last 8.5 out of 9.5 months of our life together.
Her section on labor is laugh out loud funny to me. Probably because I’ve been there and I know how much it can suck the life right out of you as well as be the most magical moment of your life. She has some pearls of wisdom for the uninitiated, such as “Birth balls suck.” I hear you sister, I hear you. Another pearl? “Everyone lies to the pregnant lady.” But the most important tip, “It really doesn’t matter what happens during those three or fifty-three hours it takes to bring your baby into the world. the second your child is born, it’s all but forgotten - at least until the next time you encounter a pregnant woman.”
You can read this book over the weekend. I think it’s a great read for a pregnant lady. I sat on the sofa last weekend and read it while I blissfully ignored my family (unless I needed a new glass of water or a bowl of ice cream to keep me from fainting). As a mom already, I was totally amused by her story and felt an immediate kinship with her. I’d totally join her mom’s group. This is also a great gift idea for a newly pregnant friend, because entering the unknown with a little dose of humor helps the medicine go down.
I highly recommend this book. I look forward to Jenna’s next book, so let’s hope she’s writing one. Get on it, McCarthy!
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August 23, 2008 @ 04:06 PM
The Good Aunt said:
I am almost finished reading it. It has brought back many memories and lots of laughs!! My youngest is now 39 and I wish this had been around when I was having kids!! I would recommend it to mothers of all ages!!