Operating Instructions

This book was recommended by many people, most notably my cousin Emily who is successfully mothering 5 children!, while I was struggling through the first few months of Matthew's life. Now I know why. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott was a riot from beginning to end. Lamott, a self-described Jesus freak and recovering addict, lets it all hang out while writing about her colicky young son and the sleep-deprived first few months. She's a sarcastic mess, which I loved, because I was, too. Only, she figured out how to parlay such insanity into a book-writing, money-making, fame-increasing venture. I simply wrote embarrassing things on my blog and wished that Hawaii would suffer an earthquake that would bring it within bridge-building distance from Perdido Key, Florida and my mother.

If you're still not sure if this book is for you, consider this: At one point, Lamott writes, "It has been a terrible day. I'm afraid we're going to have to let him go. He's an awful baby." If you don't think that's hilarious, then you probably don't want to read this book. Since I have actually uttered these very words, I loved it. You also shouldn't read this book if you haven't yet had children - or if you have, but have forgotten what those first few months are like. Lamott does such a great job of capturing the emotional rollercoaster and I'll-never-get-through-this feeling of being the parent of a newborn that it might turn you off entirely. I have been secretly contemplating another baby (I know, I'm crazy) but reading this book put my uterus in check, at least temporarily. In the end, her absolute devotion and deep love for her son shines through and you remember why you had children in the first place.