The Mother Side of Midnight: Nocturnal Confessions of a Lunchbox Queen

Frazzled and harried moms of toddlers and infants will take heart as Zarnow ( Husband Is the Past Tense of Daddy ) writes about the years when one's youngest child is acknowledged as the last and approaches the ``age of reason.'' Marking the time that mothers are somewhat freed from their offspring's physical dependence, this milestone is usually passed as the child starts school or starts losing baby teeth (not necessarily in that order). Writing with humor, irreverence and deep affection about life with her own three children, Zarnow ranges from the trivial and commonplace (pet goldfish and first ballet lessons) to such serious subjects as sex, death and forbidden words. With a sharp ear for the way children talk to each other and to the adults around them, the author commiserates and advises in observations that will delight--