Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures - Amber Dusick

Title: Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures
Author: Amber Dusick
Publisher: Harlequin, 2013 (Hardcover)
Length: 224 pages
Genre: Adult; Parenting, Humour
Started: April 6, 2013
Finished: April 6, 2013

Summary:
From the back of the book:

Of course you love being a parent. But sometimes, it just sucks. I know. I'm Amber Dusick and I started my blog Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures because I needed a place to vent about the funny (and frustrating) day-to-day things that happened to me as a parent. Turns out, poop is hilarious! At least when you're not the one wiping it up.

This book won't make your frustrating moments any less crappy. But these stories about my Crappy Baby, Crappy Boy, and my husband, Crappy Papa, will hopefully make you laugh. Because you're not alone. And sometimes the crappiest moments make the best memories. Parenting is wonderful! And also, well, you know.

Review:
I've been reading the author's blog for about as long as I've been a parent, and her observations are always spot on (except for the ones about babies who never sleep, I lucked out and got one of "those" babies who are awesome sleepers), not to mention hilarious. Plus, I love the fact that her illustrations look like ones I would make, like the horrible MS Paint experiments from when I was 11 and got my first computer.

The book is divided into several sections based on common parenting themes: lack of sleep, food issues, poop, sickness, traveling, etc, complete with the section at the end titled "The 50 Crappy Laws of Parenting". Each section has several anecdotes based on the author's life with her husband and two boys, with text as well as the illustrations. A lot of the content is taken directly from the author's blog, so if you find yourself wanting more you can always spend a few hours reading her back-posts.

This book is perfect for parents (and parents-to-be) because it's so truthful. I found myself nodding my head as I was reading and laughing, thinking, "yup, been there done that." It was also good to hear that the whole "eat practically nothing but still be okay" phase that my toddler is going through does happen with other kids, and that it's okay that I freak out when she goes a day eating just crackers and oranges, because the author did that too (and made it funny by likening it to a cavewoman instinct to make our kids eat so they won't die). And the little section on "Things I Do When I Should Be Sleeping" is something I can totally relate to.

Recommendation:
If you're a parent or need to buy a gift for a parent-to-be, you need to pick this up. It's a quick read but a very satisfying one.

Thoughts on the cover:
I like the primary colour scheme and how the font and illustrations keep with the feel of the rest of the book.