Motherhood Comes Naturally (and Other Vicious Lies)

From the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of a Scary Mommy and the wildly popular blog ScaryMommy.com, a hilarious new essay collection that exposes the “vicious lies” that every parent is told. Newly pregnant and scared out of her mind, Jill Smokler lay on her gynecologist’s examination table and was told the biggest lie she’d ever heard in her life: “Motherhood is the most natural thing in the world.” Instead of quelling her nerves like that well intentioned nurse hoped to, Jill was instead set up for future of questioning exactly what DNA strand she was missing that made the whole motherhood experience feel less than natural to her. Wonderful? Yes. Miraculous? Of course. Worthwhile? Without a doubt. But natural? Not so much. Jill’s first memoir, the New York Times bestseller Confessions of a Scary Mommy , rocketed to national fame with its down and dirty details about life with her three precious bundles of joy. Now Jill returns with all-new essays debunking more than twenty pervasive myths about motherhood. She’s here to give you what few others will dare: The truth. Motherhood is ... -- -- Introduction Motherhood comes naturally -- You'll be back to your old self in no time -- Mothers hate to see their children suffer -- It takes a village to raise a child -- Having kids keeps you young -- Parent's wouldn't dream of hurting their children -- Parenting strengthens a marriage -- You're the grown-up -- You'll get more sleep when they are older -- Mothers love cooking for their kids -- You are your own harshest critic -- Going from two to three kids is a breeze -- The parent is in charge -- Mother's Day is all about you -- It gets easier -- Pets make children more responsible -- A house without children is an empty one -- You'll look forward to your kids' independence -- Being home with your kids is the most fulfilling job -- It's just a phase -- You will succumb to sentimentality -- Mothers happily share -- Parents have all the answers -- -- Conclusion Scary mommy confessions. The ScaryMommy.com blogger presents a new essay collection that denounces the illusory nature of parenting advice, arguing against such common fallacies as "You'll be back to your old self in no time" and "It gets easier." Newly pregnant and scared out of her mind, Smokler lay on her gynecologist's examination table and was told the biggest lie she'd ever heard in her life: "Motherhood is the most natural thing in the world." She began to question exactly what DNA strand she was missing that made the whole motherhood experience feel less than natural to her. Now Smokler humorously debunks more than twenty pervasive myths about motherhood.