When Did I Get Like This? The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicke n-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be

Description

Amy Wilson and her husband were delighted when they learned they were finally pregnant. With great expectation, Amy began to plan and prepare for the arrival of their first child, only to be met with a million and one decisions and twice that number in words of advice. Everything from the birth plan going forward was like one big, terrifying multiple choice exam, each question overshadowed by: Don't you want what's best for your child Seven years and three kids later, Amy still has one overriding daily thought: I suck at this. What kind of mother feeds her kids dinosaur chicken nuggets Three times a week What kind of mother let's hand washing after using the toilet slide, as long as it was just Number One Amy says, "over the last seven years of long days with little children, I have certainly had many moments of joy, calm, and peaceful reverie. This book is about the other moments." When Did I Get Like This, written in short chapters so busy mothers can enjoy, is a funny, endearing celebration of the modern mother's quest to provide what is best for her kids in the age of too many options.

Amy Wilson created the one-woman show Mother Load, which started in 2007 and has been touring the country ever since. As an actor, she has performed on Broadway, as a series regular on two sitcoms, and in dozens of other plays and films. Her writing appears regularly in Parenting magazine, as well as Redbook, Babytalk, babble.com, and CNN.com's "Living" page. But her favorite productions are her three young children, whom she raises with her husband in New York City.

"Wilson's got a light comic touch, but also traffics unflinchingly in the gross and the sad." -- Entertainment Weekly "When Did I Get Like This? is a funny, heartwarming account by [a] frazzled young mother of three. This book will help [new mothers] remember that the worst day with children is better than the best day without them." -- The Washington Post "Amy Wilson's hilarious, tender memoir of all the ways her children drive her crazy--and she drives herself crazy--had me laughing out loud with recognition. She captures the small moments of motherhood in a way that is both funny and thought-provoking." -- Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project "An honest, personal, and often hilarious collection of short, beautifully written chapters. As entertaining as it is reassuring." -- Christie Mellor, author of The Three-Martini Playdate "Reading Amy Wilson's book is like meeting your favorite new mom friend: She's whip-smart, charming, enviably capable but as self-doubting as the rest of us, and very, very funny." -- Pamela Paul, author of Parenting, Inc. "Like Annie Hall wearing a nursing bra!" -- New York Times (on the stage play)