Description

When Did I Get Like This? is the hilarious story of one mother's struggle to shrug off the ridiculous standards of modern parenting, and remember how to enjoy her children

Over the last seven years of long days with little children, I have had many moments of joy, calm, and peaceful reverie.

This book is about the other moments.

Before I became a mother, failing at something did not shake my fundamental belief in my capabilities as a human being. But now that I am the mother of three children under the age of seven, I have 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 lets hand washing after using the toilet slide, as long as it was just Number One? And then I wonder: When did I get like this? Why do I doubt my parenting abilities, day after day? Why does motherhood, a job as old as Eve, have me teetering daily on the edge of sanity?

With each new stage of motherhood, I tell myself I will never again be suckered by the question, "Don't you want what's best for your children?" And yet, time after time, I am. Sometimes, I am right to obsess. Other times, the record will show, it has been distinctly counterproductive.

I'm working on it . . .

About the Author

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.

Praise for When Did I Get Like This?…

“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)