How Not To Calm A Child On A Plane: And Other Lessons In Parenting From A Highly Questionable Source (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
I'm putting this book in my 'so funny' shelf because I think if I had read it when my kids were little it would have truly felt so very funny. If I had been living in the same headspace as Johanna Stein the scenes she describes in this book would have made me laugh and giggle and then call my friends to read them over the phone but really I'd be laughing so hard they'd wonder why I had ever called, if I was just going to call them and laugh without stopping.So it is absolutely that kind of book, the kind that makes you laugh so hard, but for me I only found myself cracking up over the parts where she described life with her husband or her world as an adult coping with parenting + trying to live like an adult. I felt like the chapter about her dog was sweeter than any dog chapter I've read in a long time and the Christmas tree buying was a beautiful moment.She quotes lessons learned on her title page and I think that some lessons are learned here but, better than that, time is passed in a cheerful and distracting way and what can be better than that? This is not a book for the timid and this is not a book for anyone who might be offended by.. well, anyone offended by anything. I'm pretty sure you could possibly take offense at something written on any page. Certainly most pages. Saying that, it was fun and funny. Good holiday week reading and a nice treat for someone who is at that perfect age - raising a toddler and not getting enough sleep. If you do give them this book, they'll call you to thank you but they'll be laughing without stopping as they do. This is a fun collection of essays about the author's relationship with her daughter. Call me dense, but I didn't realize until I started reading that this is all about parenting (you will note that attention to detail is not on my list of unique abilities). I am currently (and possibly permanently) childless, but I had no trouble relating to the stories. I love Stein's voice and laughed out loud more than once.Stein's portrayal of her daughter is hilarious. One of my favorite chapters is just a list of things the author's daughter has said to insult her. I also especially enjoyed the story about the author's first dog and how having a dog compares to having a child. Oh and the chapter about talking to your child about death, featuring the four-year-old with the full-on Italian accent, was amazing.Great read. I hope Stein will keep writing humor.
What do You think about How Not To Calm A Child On A Plane: And Other Lessons In Parenting From A Highly Questionable Source (2014)?
Hilarious. If you like the style of Jenny Larson, this book is for you! Tears ran down my face.
—Joy
Such a funny book. I'm not a parent but I do work with children so many parts of this resonated.
—spikeps3
Very funny in spots, but also a little crude in spots. The "other side" of parenting.
—Belfon
