“Howerton writes unflinchingly about what it means to be raising children in today’s world and how to liberate ourselves from the myth of perfect motherhood.”—Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed and Love Warrior, founder of Together RisingIn this smart and subversively funny memoir, Kristen Howerton navigates the emotional and sometimes messy waters of motherhood and challenges the idea that there’s … challenges the idea that there’s a “right” way to raise kids. Recounting her successes, trials, mishaps, and hard-won wisdom, this mother of four advocates for letting go of the expectations, the guilt, and the endless race to be the perfect parent to the perfect child in the perfect family.
This book is for
● the parent who loves their kids like crazy but feels like parenting is making them crazy, too
● the parent who said “I will never . . .” and now they have
● the parent who looks like they have it all together but feels like a hot mess on the inside
● the parent who looks like a hot mess on the outside, too
● the parent who asks Am I good enough? Doing enough? Doing it right? What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with these children? Are they eighteen yet?
With her signature blend of vulnerability, sarcasm, and insight, Howerton shares her unexpected journey from infertility to adoption to pregnancy to divorce to dealing with the shock and awe of raising teens. As a mom of a multiracial family and as a marriage and family therapist, she tackles the thorny issues parents face today, like hard conversations about racism, disciplining other people’s kids, the reality of Dad Privilege, and (never) attaining that elusive work/life balance. Rage Against the Minivan is a permission slip to let it go and allow yourself to be a “good enough” parent, focused on raising happy, kind, loving humans.
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I’m a grandpa now, enjoying all the high-reward, low-cost payoffs for decades of front-line parenting. But I vowed never to forget those most demanding (and amazing) years of my life, those years of the minivan slimed with orange Cheetos grease and perfumed with soccer-sock sweat. Kristen Howerton has written the book I wish I could have read back then, the book I would wish on any young parent whose moods swing between elation and exhaustion, rage and pride, unspeakable love and a desperate desire for five minutes without a diaper to change or a whine to interrupt. Read this book, parents. You’ll know how much you need it when you’re a few pages in.
In Rage Against the Minivan, blogger, podcaster, and licensed marriage and family therapist Kristen Howerton lends solidarity to those who love their kids like crazy but feel like parenting is making them crazy, too. With her signature blend of vulnerability, sarcasm, and insight, Howerton shares her unexpected journey from infertility to adoption to pregnancy to divorce to dealing with the shock and awe of raising teens.
This book is for
• the parent who had it totally figured out before they had kids
• the parent who said “I will never . . .” and now they have
• the parent who needs a time-out and a nap as badly as their child does
• the parent who looks like they have it all together but feels like a hot mess on the inside
• the parent who looks like a hot mess on the outside, too
• the parent who asks Am I good enough? Doing enough? Doing it right? What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with these children? Are they eighteen yet?
Recounting her successes, trials, mishaps, and hard-won wisdom as a parent of four kids—both white and black—Howerton tackles many of the thorny issues parents face today, like hard conversations about racism, disciplining other people’s kids, the reality of Dad Privilege, and (never) attaining that elusive work/life balance. Whether it’s about toddler tantrums or teen angst, Howerton reveals how she learned to opt out from the pressure to do it all perfectly and opt in to excelling at average.
Poignant and relatable, Rage Against the Minivan is a permission slip to allow yourself to be a “good enough” parent, learning how to love your kids well while letting yourself off the hook.
Howerton is one of the clearest, wisest, smartest voices in our culture. She tackles the complicated aspects of motherhood and distills them down to what is absolutely true, right, and good. Plus, she is funny and endearing, so she will forever be one of my favorite writers.
This book is imperfectly perfect. Or perfectly imperfect. I get those confused. Either way, you should totally read it.
This book is like no parenting book I’ve ever read — it’s hilarious, thoughtful, and chock-full of the very best advice about raising kids. Read it. Not only will you have better tools and ideas for your parenting journey, but you’ll also realize you’re not alone.
Howerton has a unique ability to be simultaneously playful and wise, funny and deeply thoughtful. She writes like a familiar friend and an insightful guide in the same moment. That’s a rare gift, and it makes this book so special.