You’re Not the Boss of Me (Fireside Book Review)
My friend gave me this book, You’re Not the Boss of Me, by Erika Schickel, for Christmas. She said she thought it looked hilarious and she’s anxiously awaiting her turn to read it! Well, hilarious it was and brutally, brutally honest. The book is about the adventures of a modern mom from the eyes of Erika, a mom of two daughters.
The first chapter of the book, The Obstetrical Dilema, is a must read for all pregnant women. But then pregnant women should put this book down because the rest will terrify them (if they are pregnant with their first child). This is my favorite line where Schickel talks about pregnancy week by week:
“Week 1 – The embryo is the size of the head of a pin… Week 18 – The baby is now the size of an open hand… Week 25 – Your baby is now the size of a crock pot.”
As a mother, I could relate to so many things Schickel discusses. And then there were many things that I’d never admit I could relate to and then there was the rest of the book where I was just saying, “wow!” Never even thought about doing that! But the funny thing is, we may not all react the same way (or ease stress the same way) but for the most part, we all experience the same stuff as moms.
This is my favorite passage from the book and it comes near the end. This will just give you a little flavor of what to expect from Schickel:
“Any given day in the life of a modern mother is a pastiche of chores, routines, and time-killing activities that you perform until you can finallly put your children to bed. You are not a brave pioneer protecting your young from starvation and rabid prairie dogs; you are the person who knows how to poke the straw into the juice box…You are your child’s handmaiden, and though your work is defended by feminists as heroic, noble, essential–secretly, in your heart, you undervalue it like everyone else becaues you know it’s unskilled labor.”
It’s a good laugh and might just make you feel better about your own experiences as a mother!
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