Mommy Meltdowns: A Review

Shana Norris reviews & interviews

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What do you get when you ask 30 female bloggers to share brutally honest accounts of their most memorable mommy meltdowns? You get The Mother of All Meltdowns, an anthology that will make you feel anywhere from a little to a lot better about the last time you failed to act like the calm, mature, reasonable mom you strive to be. The book’s forward offers a word of warning to the grammar police: this collection of essays isn’t about perfection. It’s about the honest sharing of relatable, very real life stories. 

The women of MOAM invite their readers to take a few deep breaths, put their feet up, and start reading. Prepare to be inspired and validated. Prepare to laugh, and maybe to cry. Prepare to see the reaffirming beauty in C.S. Lewis’ famous words: 

“What! You too? I thought I was the only one …”

The women featured in MOAM come from all walks of life, and write from all stages of the parenting journey, from pregnancy through the teenage years.

Kids acting up on that extra-special summer vacation that you paid thousands of dollars for? Cutting their bangs down to the scalp the day before school pictures? We’ve all heard these stories. Many of us have lived them. But how many times have we heard a mom admit how badly she acted in the face of them? 

As with any anthology or collection, certain stories are bound to resonate particularly strongly with you. You’ll feel an instant connection with most of these moms, but some of their stories will grab you extra tightly because you’ll identify with their histories, their personalities, or their parenting philosophies. 

The bottom line: there is something here for every mom.

That embarrassing mothering moment? That time you lost your cool and are still beating yourself up over it? Someone else has probably been there, done that, and you just might read about it in The Mother of All Meltdowns.

If you’ve ever picked up the Lego 4-wheeler your child just spent hours building only to have piece after painstakingly assembled piece crumble off in your hands …

If you’ve ever cringed over a video your middle schooler recorded on his iPhone and then posted on Facebook or Instagram …

If you’ve ever ignored the foreboding silence of typically noisy, boisterous kids only to wish 10 minutes later that you’d investigated right away instead of enjoying that cup of coffee first (if the kids are quiet, they’re probably doing something that they shouldn’t be doing, right?)…

This book’s for you, Mom. Grab yourself another cup of coffee, find a quiet space in your house, or maybe just sit down in the middle of all the chaos, take a deep breath, read a story or two, and know that you are not alone.

About the Author

Shana Norris

Shana Norris is a writer, reader, runner, coffee guzzler, and chocolate inhaler. She spends a lot of time acquiring new houseplants, organizing photos, and thinking about what she'll make for dinner. She's passionate about being a fully present mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. Keep up with Shana on her blog,

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