Donna Baer

Strong Happy Family: Unexpected Advice from an Ivy League Mom of 10 Donna Baer

When I meet someone for the first time, I try to avoid mentioning that I have ten kids. It?s not that I?m ashamed of them, or that I fear ridicule? I really love my kids and our big boisterous life. I avoid mentioning the brood because it?s a conversation stopper. Or at least it stops the part of the conversation that intrigues me. While I?m curious about my new acquaintance?s family or work, all of a sudden I find myself answering questions about ?the big life.? My hunch is that new friends query me in order to sift out some advice that could help them in their scaled-back version of a Strong Happy Family. Though I would really love to hear their stories, I remember what it was like to be a young mother starving for parenting advice, so I usually wind up answering questions. The questions I?m asked often huddle around certain themes. This book attempts to answer ten of the most frequent. They range from big-picture items (How do you get your kids to listen to you?) to the nuts and bolts (How do you keep them all fed?), and they are answered in no particular order. If you read this book and we ever get to sit down for coffee together, then we can talk about your life! I?d like that.