When I became pregnant with my first child at the age of 35, I wanted to do everything right. I instantly gave up coffee and alcohol and went to the parenting section of the bookstore to buy my first parenting book. And you know what? I don’t even remember the name of the book I bought. Once my child was born, all the advice I read in those parenting books went right out the window. I wondered; even though the authors of these books have a lot of letters behind their names and fancy credentials, have they actually raised children of their own?

Just as I learned how to teach from actually being in the classroom, I learned how to parent by actually becoming a parent. That’s why Lose The Cape: Never Will I Ever (and then I had kids!) is such a refreshing book about parenting. Every single contributor is a parent who has also learned lessons by actually raising a child (or two or three)! They share their hilarious stories about doing the things they said they would never do before they had kids.

Lose The Cape: Never Will I Ever (and then I had kids!) starts off with a bang when Karen Johnson confesses her many downfalls as a parent. Never would she ever let her kids sit in front of a screen all day, never would she ever be a moody mother, and never would her kids have a tantrum in public…well, let’s just say once she had children that ship sailed far, far away.

My idea of meal planning is having a pantry stocked with basics for the casseroles I make regularly, and making sure there is milk in the fridge and meat in the freezer. Which is why I totally relate to “The Fantasies and Realities of Motherhood from a Recovering Idealist” by Jennifer Collins. She writes, “And I have no idea what is for dinner tonight.” Neither do I, Jennifer, neither do I!

I love Tandra Wilkerson‘s description of parenting in ‘true “rock-star” style’ in her story, “Dirty Perfection.” “No, not the fun, rocking-out-on-stage-with-devoted-fans rock stars. The other type. The behind-the-scenes, after the after-party, hung-over-barely-making-it-just-trying-to-get-through-the-next-moment-without-vomiting-or-passing-out type.”

There are so many other fun stories in this book, such as “Fugitive Mom” by Andrea Isiminger, and there are touching stories as well, such as “The Unexpected Journey to Spirituality” by Nichole Cancellare and “Use the Full Box of Crayons” by Melodic Rose. But I can’t tell you about all the stories in this book. You’ll have to read them for yourself!

You can find Lose The Cape: Never Will I Ever (and then I had kids!) on Amazon, and you can also follow Lose the Cape on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LoseTheCape. Thanks to editors Alexa Bigwarfe and Kerry Rivera for bringing together these amazing contributors. This is one parenting book you’ll be glad to read!