REVIEW: THE KIDS WILL BE FINE by DAISY WAUGH

Daisy Waugh

Funny, unorthodox, witty and truthful is Daisy Waugh in her new book "The Kids Will Be Fine. Guilt-Free Motherhood for Thoroughly Modern Women." 

Waugh sets out to speak for the mothers who have long felt the guilt for their so called nontraditional way of parenting. For the mothers who don’t feel guilty about going to work every day, who don’t feel guilty about missing their kids' sporting events and who let their children feel bored. This book is not for the overbearing mothers who wrap their children in so-called bubble wrap, carefully monitoring their children’s every step, attending every PTA meeting and throwing expensive, ludicrous over the top birthday parties. Or is it? 

The consistent theme that Waugh examines in this truthful but often blunt book is that these are the mothers who are making the rest of us feel bad. Broken up into short chapters and filled with extensive vocabulary, Waugh covers topics from writing a birth plan (she calls it a “harmless waste of time”) to bake sales (“why bake when a store bought cake tastes better anyways”) to whether or not you should let your children lie (her conclusion: “the sooner a child learns how to lie the better chance of survival they have in this world”). 

Refreshingly honest throughout the book, Waugh remains true to herself while swearing, admitting she is not a perfect mother, and wondering aloud how long she has before social services knocks on her door. A laugh out loud guide to parenting for moms new or old Waugh has captured the very thoughts that mothers never dare to say in public. 

Lindsay MacNevin is a globe trotting mother of two cute but devilish children. She can often be found curled up with a book in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other.