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A heartfelt, subversively funny memoir and a bold personal manifesto that pushes back against the superficial expectations of motherhood -- and challenges the idea that there's a "right" way to raise kids.

With hard-won knowledge gained from having four kids in four years, Kristen Howerton navigates the emotional and sometimes messy waters of motherhood, sharing valuable lessons from her journey through infertility, adoption, pregnancy, toddler tantrums, divorce, and the shock and awe of parenting teens. Howerton recounts how she learned to opt out from the pressure to do it all perfectly. As a mom of both white and black children and a licensed therapist, Howerton talks frankly about the thorny issues parents face today, whether it's finding good mom friends, confronting racism, disciplining other people's kids, or falling short of that elusive work/life balance. Howerton's experience--the expectations, the stress, the total lack of control, and yes, the indignities of driving a minivan (which now sits in her driveway littered with crushed Cheetos and the remnants of her self-esteem)--along with her ability to laugh at herself, reminds parents they are not alone on this unpredictable ride.