Bea Reviews The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers by Dawn Dais

Publisher: Seal Press
Series: Sh!t No One Tells You #2
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 8, 2015
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss ARCs
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

They’re getting bigger. And you’re not getting any more sleep.

Second in the Sh!t No One Tells You series, in The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers Dawn Dais tells it like it is – again – offering real advice for parents of growing children. Filled with tips, encouragement, and a strong dose of humor, The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers is a survival handbook for parents on the edge.
Chapters include:

You Suck at This. It’s not just your imagination.

Walking Is Hard. Bruising is considerably less difficult.

Remember When You Judged Other Parents? Prepare to eat your words, with a side of karma’s a bitch.

Restaurants Are Battle Zones. Spoiler Alert: You are not the victor.

Kids Get Sick. Then everyone gets sick.

This Childhood Will Be Televised. Hello, camera phones.

Your TV Has Been Hijacked. By things with very high-pitched voices.

Coming from one empathetic parent to another, the tips in this book are real, clever, honest, and designed to make life with a terrible two- or three-year-old a little bit more manageable. Hilarious, helpful, and handy, this book will be appreciated by any parent who has asked: “Why didn’t anybody warn me that unconditional love would be so much work?”

Bea's Thoughts:

I laughed so hard reading this, which was perfect after reading some books that were intense and a couple that were dense (but useful). Much of my teaching over the years has been with toddlers so the title appealed to me right off. I also hoped to learn something.

The author, Dais, is not a child development specialist nor does she have training. She is a mother of two so her knowledge is hands-on and hard won. She supplements her anecdotes with some from a group of women she calls Mothers on the Front Lines who are mothers of anywhere from one to four children and then she has two child therapists to offer expert advice and back up or contradict mom advice. Mostly though the book is the author, offering up her experiences, her advice, and her humor. I'm showing my age here, but at times her voice reminded me of humorist Erma Bombeck. In addition to talking about toddlers, she talks about the stresses that parenting can put on your marriage or relationship and the importance of  caring for that relationship as well as caring for yourself.

The toddler years have arrived, and I'm going to give you all the humor, heart, and honesty you need to survive them. Yay moms!
(Sorry, wine sold separately.) 

To be honest, I didn't find that she had any great revelations about toddlers but that may be because of my own experience. It all seemed obvious to me but I don't think I'm the target audience. As a child care professional, it was good for me to see the parental side of the equation, and I did gain some insight. So, actually, now that I think about, I did learn something. :) For someone just starting out, who hasn't parented, cared for, or taught a toddler before, it'll be even more useful. Dais truly seems to get toddlers and understand how they think and operate, and she was respectful of them. I found that refreshing as so many advice books written for parents show a lack of respect for children. She offers practical advice, and shares, with humor and grace, her parenting fails.

It's so incredibly helpful to hear other moms tell me how hard this all is. Because so often I start  to think I'm the only parent on the planet who is overwhelmed.

More than anything else, that is Dais' gift to her readers - the message that they are not alone, that they will make mistakes, that toddlers are exhausting, but it will all be okay. And to have some wine.

Laugh out loud funny, with some solid advice for parents, "The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers" was a little light on revelations or actually living up to its name but it was a delightful way to spend several hours. And you might even learn something. Please pass the wine.