“Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms” by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile

This cute little snack of a book only arrived on my doorstep a few days ago, but fortunately it is a very quick read. The quote snippets come from interviews conducted by the authors, and reflect the real lives of mothers. While I found reading the book to be slightly depressing, I could see it being helpful to someone already feeling down about how hard it is to be a parent. In that circumstance it might be reassuring to know that other women are sometimes just as beaten down as you are.

Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile conducted interviews with hundreds of mothers while researching their best-selling book I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. It didn’t take long before these moms began to reveal their Dirty Little Secrets—surprising, thought-provoking, guilty confessions they hadn’t told anyone else. Cringe-worthy moments (”I bit my daughter’s finger trying to steal a bite of her cookie.”) meet real insights (”I love my kids but I didn’t always. It took time to fall in love with them.”). These are the private thoughts that every mom has—and every mom can relate to.

I can see this being marketed as a great baby shower gift, but fortheloveofgod, please do not give it to a first time mom. If someone had given this to me before I’d been a mom for a few years, I would probably have had a nervous breakdown!

But I will share with you my absolute favorite quote: “My seven-year-old-son walked in on us having sex. We told him we were doing karate in bed.” I want to meet that mom — that chick is hilarious!

Grab a copy for yourself or for an experienced mom friend at Amazon for just $11.