Entertaining and helpful, taken with a grain of salt.

books:


	• Babyproofing Your Marriage: How to Laugh More, Argue Less, and Communicate Better as Your Family Grows Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O'Neill, ... Collins Living, 2007 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 63 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Entertaining and helpful, taken with a grain of salt.

I read this book upon the recommendation of a friend, more to see what was so funny than for the actual advice. The book lived up to it's rep as a funny page turner -- the anecdotes and quotes from both men and women gave both me and my husband quite a few chuckles. In some places, I found it to be a bit heavy-handed with its statement of the obvious, but mostly it seemed to present a fair picture of how men and women differ on certain child-rearing issues. I agree with a previous reviewer that this book can create a rather bleak picture of child-rearing, particularly for those contemplating kids. But it is the reality for quite a few couples and better for people to know that going in. This book actually made me appreciate how good I've got it most of the time. While I found myself nodding emphatically at much of what was said, other times, after laughing and then cringing, I would think gratefully of how much my husband does around the house and contributes to our joint child-rearing efforts. The tips offered this book are not for everyone, but the advice is mostly sound and it does work. My husband and I had actually come up with the same solution to ending the scorekeeping battle before reading this book, and it worked like a dream. No more battles on who has it harder, or who does more. We sat down and agreed on everything that needed to be done and who was going to do it and also added in who was going to get child-free time when. I couldn't complain that I was cooking all the meals because it's what I agreed to do. And in the same vein, my husband no longer complained that he had to give our daughter her bath every night because it's what he agreed to do. Our arguments (which were frequent) over the issue of who does what and who does what more often were completely eliminated.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for some laughs on post-children marital relations and some helpful advice. It is a bit skewed towards women, and bashes on the men a bit, so I'd advise women to read it and mark pages for your husbands to read. It goes over easier.

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Remembering your husband

I really recommend this book for any new parents to be. I thought this book was so informative, yet hilarious. I totally went through a lot of things that was written. I didn't think that my son would affect my marriage, but he did. My husband felt ignored and didn't have a bonding with my son. It was very hard for him. This book really helped my marriage to get on track and gave me the "Daddy's" perspective. This also gave the mother's perspective too, so it's equal. We read this book everynight before we went to bed and took turns reading it. I wish there would be a part two! haha.

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great book

This book is even better than I expected...it's as if these authors live in my home!!! Great suggestions that have made my husband and I appreciate each other more. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with maintaining a closeness with their spouse when the house and childcaring seems to always take center stage.

Fun perspective on a serious problem

I decided to give this book a read when my hubby and I found out we were having twins and though we each have an older child we brought into the marriage and have done the whole parenting thing before, we've never parented infants and very young children together and frankly I value our relationship with small children and without. This book was humerously written with lots of quotes and dialogue from men and women experiencing problems in their relationship as well as folks who are finding successful answers to relationship problems. I especially appreciated the chapter on sex which is a big issue in many relationships after baby comes along. Mom is exhausted and feels as sexy "as a loaf of bread" and dad maintains a pre-baby sex drive, what's a couple to do? Definatly keep this book around for inspiration and even a good chuckle when your to-do list is longer than the day is long.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Warning! New parents are likely to experience:

Scorekeeping?An exceedingly complex, often relentless, tit-for-tat war waged by husbands and wives over the division of parenting responsibilities and domestic chores.

The Ten O'Clock Shoulder Tap?Considered by many men to be a form of foreplay. A paw on a wife's shoulder is how some men indicate their desire for sex. The Tap is rarely accompanied by a term of endearment or any other verbal form of communication and is seldom well received by the often-sleeping/almost-always-exhausted wife. The frustrated husband, meanwhile, wonders if his wife has pulled a Bait and Switch in the bedroom.

Clash of the Grannies?A high stakes "who will have the greatest influence on the grandkids" tournament played by each set of grandparents. Competitive categories include: the Title Championship (who gets to be called "Grandma"), the Battle for Floor and Wall Space, the Battle for Face Time, and Gratuitous Grandparental Gift-Giving.

The Babyproofers are three women who wouldn't trade their roles as mothers for anything, and they love their husbands deeply. But after living through it and hearing the stories of hundreds of other couples, they know that with young children in the house, you need to block the stairs with baby gates, put plastic covers over the outlets, AND take the necessary steps to safeguard your marriage.

Babyproofing Your Marriage is the warts-and-all truth about how having children can affect your relationship. The authors explore the transition to parenthood in light of their own experiences, with input from their husbands and commentary from men and women across the country. Their evenhanded approach to both sides of the marital equation allows spouses to understand each other in a whole new way.

With loads of humor and practical advice, the Babyproofers will guide first-time parents and veterans alike around the rocky shores of the early parenting years. Don't fall prey to common relationship pitfalls: Babyproof Your Marriage!

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