A dad reads The Mommy Diaries by Dallas Louis

“Mommy books” can be a tough genre to read if you’re a parent.  If you’re a parent then the subject matter is familiar, you have a busy schedule and probably know what will happen in the story.   I’ve read many books that take a humorous look at parenting and most of them get a collective ‘meh.’

The Mommy Diaries, How I’m Surviving Parenting Without Killing Anyone by Dallas Louis interested me solely from the line in her biography that said “After having three children within 26 months.”  My wife and I were hesitant to have two children that were separated by two years.  My mind is still trying to comprehend the precise timing that required having three different children in that time frame.

Dallas does a great job of painting her family and the odd, destructive and funny things that children will do.  You would expect that from a parenting book.  What’s enjoyable about The Mommy Diaries is how well she includes her extended family and incorporates her relationship with Jeff, her husband.

There is one story that she relays about a major construction project that Jeff started and didn’t tell her.  It was a major renovation-inside the house- and he forgot to tell his wife.  Dallas also tells us about her parents who become interstate truck drivers once they retire, multiple trips to the doctors and cringing stories about her children doing things.

Dallas has a down home, folky way of telling stories in her writing.  It’s not simplistic, just very honest and real about the fact that being a parent is difficult.  She’s from Texas (go figure with a name like Dallas) and often paints a picture that’s centric to what you think that area would be like.

Another thing that is different about The Mommy Diaries is that it paces the humor to life lessons to spirituality very evenly.  There are large chunks of humor through the book and them BAM, a life lesson about how to avoid said experience.  The life lesson could be to look for the good in bad situations or to communicate in the most effective manner with your spouse.

She acknowledges that the relationship between husband and wife is the most important element in a family.  My wife is down with that theory too.  If mom and dad aren’t strong, then the kids will realize that very soon and their lessons will be learned from you, the parents.

The last chapter of the book was a little frustrating to read because it details a typical frustrating day in the life of a stay at home parent where nothing seems to get done.  Stick with the story though because she has some motivational Bible verses that come on the tail end of it.   Her name is Dallas, she’s from Texas and a Christian, it’s stereotypical, but the results are a very entertaining book; even if you’re jaded from some of the mommy books out there.

I’m a dad and at times The Mommy Diaries made me laugh out loud.   I feel like I’m part of a support group when I say that.  My wife will read it and enjoy it more than I did probably.

I was provided with an electronic copy of the book.  The thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.