When I was approached by Crystal Ponti – a fellow Mainer and the blogger behind Mommifried – to be a contributor to an anthology she was putting together, I was both honored and intimidated. Honored because what writer doesn’t want to published in a book with other talented writers? Intimidated because I’d have to write my own personal story about my worst meltdown as a mother.
In the real world, we’re not supposed to admit our weaknesses as mothers. What would people think of my story? What would my fellow co-authors admit to in print? Surely I should sugar coat my personal anecdote so as not to illicit immediate calls to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Crystal noted the lack of books out there that show real stories of motherhood.
So I sat and wrote in a local coffee shop after having a near meltdown trying to convince my family they needed to give me a couple of hours alone on a Saturday to get my story out. Deep breaths.
Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote:
Seeing my struggles, the daycare workers attempted to move my kids along. “Listen to your mother, boys. We’ll see you tomorrow!”
At this point, other mothers were arriving to scoop up their beaming children after a long day at work. Those children anxiously awaited their parent’s arrival to the gate, hardly containing their excitement while wildly squealing things like “Mommy’s here!”
Would it kill my kids to be excited to see me? I thought. The perfect day was quickly becoming a perfect disaster.
My story is called “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.” You’ll have to buy the book, The Mother of all Meltdowns, to find out what happened and why I chose the title.
After I submitted my story and Crystal assured me it was exactly what she was looking for, I had the chance to read the stories of my co-authors. I was blown away because the stories in the book were honest, real, emotional and relatable. I laughed, cried, cringed and felt infinitely better about being a mother.
But don’t take my word for it, here’s a review of the book on Amazon:
“If there was ever a book for Moms that should be required reading, this is it! Thirty tales of motherhood gone awry told in graphic honesty; some will have you laughing until you can’t breathe, a few may bring you to tears. Most importantly, the stories told by these Moms, who also happen to be very talented writers, will make you feel not like you are living all alone on a deserted island for bad mothers, but that you have finally, FINALLY found the elusive secret society for Moms who are real people with real stress and real reactions to said stress and are saying it – out loud! I related to a point in so many of the stories and felt actual physical and emotional relief. It’s not often you find a book that not only serves as entertainment but therapy as well. Excellent job, ladies!” ~ Sandy Ramsey
The book is an honest look at motherhood from thirty different perspectives. If you read blogs on a regular basis, chances are that you are familiar with several of the book’s contributors. I’m honored to be a part of this amazing group of writers.
While we may be divulging our worst moments as mothers, in the end, you’ll see that we’re all human and that our true love for our kids rises above everything else.
Buy the book, join our community
The Mother of all Meltdowns is currently available for download and in print from Amazon as well as on Barnes and Noble for Nook or in paperback.You can also order it at your neighborhood bookstore (always good to support locally owned stores!). If you buy the book, we would love for you to give it a review on Amazon as well.
Reading the book will make you think of all the meltdowns you’ve had (and it’ll get easier to admit to those meltdowns), so you might want to join us on social media for some free therapy!
- Follow on Twitter: @MOAMtheBook
- Find us on Google+: http://bit.ly/1brepxG
- Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themotherofallmeltdowns
- Repin us on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/wikicrystal/the-mother-of-all-meltdowns
- Visit the official Mother of all Meltdowns website: http://themotherofallmeltdowns.com/
Do you have a good meltdown story?
