Weird Parenting Wins: Bathtub Dining, Family Screams, and Other Hacks from the Parenting Trenches

As a long-time listener of The Longest Shortest Time, I knew I needed this on my shelf. Hillary Frank has curated a collection that is equal parts hilarious and deeply moving for any caregiver. The chapter where she discusses her own birth trauma and the botched episiotomy was some of the most raw, honest writing I’ve ever encountered. It’s refreshing to see someone acknowledge the physical toll of motherhood without sugarcoating the painful reality. The tips from other parents are the cherry on top of a very entertaining sundae. Whether it’s getting a kid to eat vegetables or navigating the teenage years, this book offers a wealth of helpful perspectives.

Hillary Frank has a way of making the absolute worst parts of motherhood feel hilariously universal to her readers. This book is a treasure trove of whatever works strategies that skip the judgment found in traditional parenting manuals. I loved the section on intimacy and how to maintain a connection with your partner while hiding from children. It is incredibly honest, very creative, and much-needed for the modern parent trying to survive. The stories range from the absurd to the genuinely clever, and I found myself highlighting several ideas. It is a relief to read something that prioritizes sanity over correctness. If you are tired of being told how you should parent, read this instead.

Picked this up on a whim after hearing about it on NPR, and I’m so glad I did. It’s less of a manual and more of a support group for those of us in the trenches. Some of the tips, like the Pez dispenser filled with frozen peas, are absolutely brilliant in their simplicity. It really encourages you to be more playful when you’re on the verge of a breakdown over a refusal to wear socks. While not every story hit the mark for me, the overall vibe is incredibly encouraging and humorous. I’ve already started gifting this to my friends who are expecting their first child. It’s the perfect antidote to those overly clinical parenting guides that make you feel like a failure.

Ever wonder if you're the only one lying to your kids just to get through the day? This book confirms that we are all dirty liars, and it is absolutely wonderful to feel seen. I listened to the audiobook version and the variety of narrators made the stories feel like a conversation with friends. The hot ice cream trick for mashed potatoes is something I’ve already implemented with my three-year-old. It actually worked! It’s lighthearted and reminds you that parenting doesn't always have to be so serious or rigid. My only gripe is that some of the stories about older kids felt a little less relatable than the toddler chaos.

Finally, a parenting book that doesn't stop once the kid hits kindergarten or starts sleeping through the night. Most of these guides focus so heavily on the baby years that they forget parents still need wins later on. The second half of the book, which covers navigating high school and growing independence, was surprisingly insightful. I appreciated the specific examples of how different families handle sibling rivalry and teenage communication styles. It is organized in a way that is easy to navigate, so you can jump to your current struggle. It is not a perfect book, but it is a very useful resource for long-term parenting.

Look, I'm a firm believer in doing whatever it takes to survive the toddler years, and this book is validation. It is packed with hundreds of perspectives from caregivers who have been through the ringer and kept their humor. The lettuce story had me howling, and putting frozen peas in a Pez dispenser is a stroke of total genius. While I didn't agree with every parenting choice mentioned, the variety is exactly what makes the book work. It helps you become more playful and less rigid during those high-stress moments with your children. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who feels like they are losing their mind lately.

To be fair, this is a quick and entertaining read, but it didn't feel like there was much new information here. The weirdness is basically just the art of distraction, which most of us figure out by month six of sleep deprivation. I also noticed a distinct lack of fatherly perspectives throughout the chapters, which was disappointing. It’s 2019; surely there are more dads with weird tricks than the few represented in these pages? The book leans heavily on the mother's experience, which makes the collection feel a bit one-sided. It is a decent coffee table book to flip through, but do not expect a revolutionary philosophy on child-rearing.

Some of these anecdotes are pure gold, but others feel a bit smug and out of touch with reality. The idea of using a Happy Meal box to trick a kid into eating leftovers is great for picky eaters. Then you hit stories that feel borderline problematic, like the section involving the gay teenager and the conservative camp. It was a tough pill to swallow in a book that is supposed to be funny and light. The writing style is engaging and Hillary's introductions are definitely the highlight of the entire experience. However, the quality of the crowd-sourced tips is hit or miss depending on your own personal values. It’s a decent enough read for a flight or a long car ride.

I really wanted to love this because I adore the podcast, but I found myself cringing more than laughing. There’s a specific story about a mother bribing her gay son to attend a conservative camp at BYU that felt completely out of place. It was presented as a parenting win because he got a good test score, but it ignored the emotional toll involved. That inclusion really soured the rest of the book for me because it felt quite cruel and outdated. There are some funny bits about hot ice cream mashed potatoes, but the lack of vetting on these anecdotes makes it hard to recommend. Frankly, some of these wins are actually just questionable parenting disguised as cleverness.

The tonal shifts in this compilation are bizarre and a bit jarring for a book marketed as lighthearted. One minute you’re laughing about a kid eating lettuce because of an SNL sketch, and the next you’re reading about stillborn babies. It felt like the editing was a bit loose, trying to cram too many disparate emotions into one volume. Some of the wins felt more like parents bragging about having easy kids who happen to eat sushi. That is not really a tip so much as it is luck of the draw. I found myself flipping past several sections that felt repetitive or just plain confusing. It has its moments, but it wasn't a cohesive experience.