Customer Reviews

Planet Parenthood: The Funny, Helpful, Absolutely Essential Survivor's Guide to a Strange New World

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

God, this book was a welcome relief. A friend saw it and gave it to me since we have a two-month old and everything Tilsner says is so true, and she expresses it all so well and entertainingly. Humor sure is needed when you don't get much sleep and can't remember what life was like before child.

Having read this book before our first child was born, as well as a lot of other books, I found that as each new parenting situation came up, as each amazing baby behavior surfaced, parts from all the other books came to my mind half the time -- and parts from this book the other half. How this one book taught me so much can be attributed to the humor, and me-and-you-buddy approach the author takes. She's like a sister or a close friend laying out the territory for you and making it funny, to boot. This is your best bet.

I loved Planet Parenthood! I recently gave a copy to my brother and his wife, who just had their first baby, and after taking a look inside, I couldn't resist reading it myself cover to cover. It was a terrific read -- I laughed my hiney off, and it seemed really wise and true, to boot. I've already seen bro and sis-in-law grappling with some of the issues mentioned, and I think the book will be a big help to them in putting it all into perspective and getting a good laugh, even in their sleep-depreived state (excellent therapy for stress). I was a fan of Tilsner's earlier book, 29 and Counting, and she's done it again!

OK, so I'm not a parent yet. But, I have about six girlfriends who've either given birth in the past year or who are almost due. I got this book to give as gifts (I'm a fan of Julie Tilsner's first book "29 and Counting") and couldn't put it down! So funny, and so right-on for what my girlfriends-turned-mothers were going through during their first year of motherhood. It almost makes me want to join the planet. (Almost!)

Planet Parenthood is one of the funniest, right on target booksabout having babies that I've read in a long time. Forget about Whatto Expect...If you're looking for a book on parenthood that will make you laugh and make you feel 100 times better about your sticky, sleepless and sexless new life, this is the book for you. Julie Tilsner is a fantastic writer and Planet Parenthood is a perfect gift for any new mom or dad who might be taking things a little too seriously. It's actually loaded with lots of practical information, but swaddled in funny stories that depict the real poop that parenthood is.

"Planet Parenthood" is required reading for anyone who is pregnant, or thinking about starting a family. The book puts breast feeding, competitive parenting and working mothers, among other topics, into perspective in a realistic, fresh and funny way.

A really fun, well-written book for parents-to-be, and a must-read for those of us with infants in the house. It's the first book I've read that realistically depicts the enormous changes that parents go through when a baby comes into their lives. Very funny, moving, and oh-so-true!

This book should be required reading, forget all that other mushy stuff. This is the real deal! Great read, funny and down to earth. My babe is 14 months now and I still pick it up now and again just for a giggle. This should be given at every baby shower!

This is the most depressing book I've ever had the misfortune to read. That's sad because I loved "29 and Counting." I expected great things from this author, but she really missed the mark.

Tilsner's "tongue-in-cheek" style is condescending. She definitely presents a true picture of the trials of parenthood, but they're not balanced with any of the joys. Basically you come away from the book thinking that when your baby comes your life is going to be over and the rest of the world (friends, parents, the author!) are going to be laughing at your naiveté.

I'm not blind enough to think that our lives aren't going to change dramatically and in innumerable ways when our child comes, but that's what we signed on for. We're looking forward to the "insanity" because it's all part of what we signed on for. I guess if you weren't planning on having a child or you're so set in your lifestyle that you can't accomodate change, then she's probably right. Everything's going to feel like your world is coming apart and your life is ruined.

But I think it's a real disservice to parents-to-be to paint such a bleak picture. Sure, it's done with humor, but to me, that makes it all the more unsettling. What expecting parent wants to feel like they're going to be the butt of some cosmic joke?

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This book has some good advice to offer, and some funny moments. But overall, I did not enjoy this book very much, probably because I do not fit in with the target audience this book is written for...although I never planned it this way, I ended up being one of the crunchy moms the author makes fun of. I bought the book when I was still pregnant, and by the time I read it our son was several months old I was already happily halfway down the granola path, and I couldn't relate to the book enough to think it was very funny or helpful. The author's one-sided dismissal of certain parenting choices is depressing and discouraging. That's too bad because there is so much that is funny about parenting to write about without making fun of the way other people do things. I would say to read it if you want, and get a laugh out of whatever you find funny, and learn from whatever you find helpful, but if you want to exclusively breastfeed, use cloth diapers, or anything else this book is a bit down on, keep an open mind don't let this book discourage you.