Why did nobody tell me? A review.

‘WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME…that the gurus don’t always know best …that you don’t have to ‘get your figure back’ six weeks after birth …that you don’t need to worry about the other parents at the school gates …that it’s okay to let them eat dirt …that you don’t have to have a naughty step And most importantly …that you should never buy a guinea pig? Drawn from the message boards of mumsnet.com and based on the assumption that if thousands of parents have found a piece of advice to be helpful then you can be pretty sure it’s worth knowing, this book shapes that collective wisdom into dozens of dos and dont’s that will lead you through the minefield that is twenty-first-century parenting’

Okay so that is that bit out the way. You can pretty much decide from that if you will enjoy this book or not. Can’t you? I’m not so sure. There are some things in the book I out and out disapprove of, because I’m a judgey parent and it is my right to disagree with stuff in the world. There are also some things that make me laugh.

  There are some gems of advice in here, and, being as it is all lifted off Mumsnet’s very own forums  it’s from real parents. It is not one of these parenting books in which you are shit unless you follow the book exactly, word for word.You are not left feeling that you have failed as a parent, instead you can feel safe in the knowledge that we have all failed somewhere along the lines.

The book is trying in a pseudo light hearted/ cut to the chase/ jaunty way to tell you that it’s okay to fuck up. It’s okay to make mistakes. Other parents make mistake and are more than happy to share them and the solutions they found or how they dealt with it.

The problem for me lay simply in some of the comments which had been included. Unfortunately I am a ‘Birth Bore’ I love talking about my birth. ALL DAY LONG. I do think I am an earth mother for carrying my baby in a carefully chosen sling. To me it really is more than a ‘fucking sling’, it was a parenting choice. BUT I really do get the humour in the book. I understand it. It just doesn’t fit me in some of the chapters. I know for sure there will be many people who will cackle whole-heartedly at these bits. There is something for most parents in here. I was slightly hurt by the ‘School Gates’ chapter, there didn’t seem to be anything really probing the home education option. Though this seems reasonable due to the majority of readers needing the advice given in the book to help them find their best school, I still think it could have been given a touch more consideration.

All in all, the book is funny & packed with advice (but they state themselves don’t take it, take it, it’s up to you). Perhaps it isn’t for everyone, but I’m yet to read a parenting book that is.   

P.S I received the book free of charge for this review.

Here is the link if you fancy your own copy – Why did nobody tell me?