The Kids Will Be Fine: Guilt-Free Motherhood for Thoroughly Modern Women

British journalist and novelist Waugh refuses to sugarcoat motherhood; in this compendium of concise, no-nonsense essays, loosely divided into the chronological stages of motherhood beginning with childbirth and ending with school-aged kids, she comments on subjects including co-sleeping (defy the experts if you dare); organic foods (“a waste of money”); the “Soppy Dad Brigade” (“soft-voiced and squeaky-soled”); and the uneasy truce between working moms and stay-at-home moms. Waugh, a mother of three, expresses ire at what she sees as society’s inflexible and unreasonable expectations of mothers. She urges women not to confuse love with subjugation, and take their lives back—“unparenting” by making choices that are both less complicated and less costly. According to Waugh, many mothers have become neurotic and excessively involved in their children’s lives—planning exorbitant birthday parties, overscheduling extracurricular activities, and getting sucked into an endless vortex of demands and attempts to please. Though devoted to her own children, Waugh rails against sentimentality and guilt, freely admitting to swearing, drinking, and living an uproariously imperfect life. Mothers of all ages and stages will be entertained by Waugh’s provocative book. [em]Agent: Anna Stein O’Sullivan, Aitken Alexander Associates. (Apr.) [/em]