Calm the H*ck Down

How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting

Melanie Dale

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN:
  9781982114374
• Print ISBN:
  9781982114367

From author and speaker Melanie Dale comes a laugh-out-loud hilarious parenting book that teaches you how to dial back the stress of raising children with the simple premise that we all just need to lighten up a little bit.

Most of us thought we’d be amazing parents—and then we had kids. Now we spend what little free time we have comparing ourselves to other parents, comparing our kids to other kids, and panicking that everyone else is nailing it except us. Between constant social media postings to conflicting advice found in parenting books, we often have no choice but to freak out. But there is another way. We all just need to calm the h*ck down.

Melanie Dale—a special needs parent, adoptive parent, in vitro parent, and reluctant cheer mom—believes we are all putting too much pressure on ourselves and our kids to be perfect. Instead, she argues, we need to take a step back so we can actually enjoy this journey called parenting.

Calm the H*ck Down is filled with stories from Melanie’s own life, as well as real-life research for learning how to lighten up about every aspect of parenting—from poopy diapers and germs to family vacations and adolescent angst. She also discusses the pressure to knock it all out of the Pinterest park, the challenge of instilling some kind of faith into your kids, and worrying about their future while still trying to live in the present.

Infused with quirky humor, profound insight, and accessible advice, Calm the H*ck Down gives you the permission to finally relax and enjoy this ridiculous thing we do called parenting.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Chapter 1: Calm the H*ck Down: Lighten Up About Expectations
• Chapter 2: I’m Sorry for Raising Monsters: Lighten Up About Behavior
• Chapter 3: Talking Is Hard: Lighten Up About Words
• Chapter 4: But What If I Want to Miss Part of My Kid’s Childhood?: Lighten Up About Work
• Chapter 5: Can Everyone Please Notice How Awesome I Am?: Lighten Up About Yourself
• Chapter 6: Sleep, Eat, Poop, Repeat: Lighten Up About Bodily Functions
• Chapter 7: Mommy Needs a Time-Out: Lighten Up About Feelings
• Chapter 8: People Are Super Awkward, Including You: Lighten Up About Friends
• Chapter 9: What Happens in the Backpack Stays in the Backpack: Lighten Up About School
• Chapter 10: Go Team Win the Sportsball!: Lighten Up About Activities
• Chapter 11: Celebrate Good Times, or Don’t: Lighten Up About Making Memories
• Chapter 12: When Armpits Awaken: Lighten Up About Big Kids
• Chapter 13: I Hope I Still Like You After They’re Gone: Lighten Up About Marriage
• Chapter 14: “Mom, You Only Had Sex the One Time, Right?”: Lighten Up About Sex
• Chapter 15: I Worry My Kids Will Be Satanists: Lighten Up About Belief
• Chapter 16: This Too Shall Pass: Lighten Up About the Future
• The Lighten Up Guidelines for Laughing at Life
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Copyright