Thinky Thoughts: All Grown Up and Still Just as Confused

These funny and eclectic essays from Laithland (Momma Cusses) unpack what it means to learn to be “an unabashed whole person.” The author, who unexpectedly became a mom at age 23, expounds on developing a “trial and error” parenting style that teaches kids “to successfully fail, learn from our mistakes, and try not to repeat them”; being diagnosed with ADHD at age 37—which provided an answer to her lifelong questions about why “I couldn’t just brain the way I wanted to”; and dealing with imposter syndrome following an emotionally abusive relationship with a man who critiqued nearly everything about her, including her choice of sandwich. The author’s wry, self-aware tone energizes her candid insights about evolving as an adult in ways that can be uncomfortable (on teaching her kids to love their bodies: “If I wanted them to embrace their meat bags in a healthy, appreciative way, I was going to have to stop hiding my form and learn how to embrace all the work and effort it’s done, even in periods where I couldn’t or wouldn’t take care of it properly”). Moms will be entertained and reassured in equal measure by Laithland’s chatty confessions. (Apr.)