With Mother’s Day coming up, it’s a good time to mention this little book of relatable bite-size essays by a Canadian author. Pepler is funny and honest about her failures, but also stresses how having and raising children is one of the greatest privileges in the world. She balances heartfelt and humour well, and has a thoughtful perspective.
She shares experiences of dealing with boredom, anxiety, fatigue, expectations, messy moments, tough parenting choices, and a number of other topics. Her reflections are mostly from the POV of motherhood, so although fathers could certainly relate to the parenting aspects, it’s probably best for mothers. She says, “…these essays articulate one woman’s experience in order to help mothers of all kinds process the wildly variable, deeply different ways in which being a mom changes our lives.”
Parenthood is a huge blessing that brings joy, but is not anything anyone can prepare you for and is full of challenges and complexities. The essays have interesting titles like Zombie Rats, My Job is Not a Hobby, and I Don’t Always Want to Sleep Through the Night.
Erin Pepler is a freelance writer and reluctant suburbanite who lives in the GTA with her husband and two children. She has written for various magazines and is on social. She has a website: erinpepler.com.
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