Sheri Lynch, author of Be Happy or I'll Scream, co-hosts the syndicated morning radio show Bob & Sheri, and she's got three children ranging from teen to toddler. So she's funny, talented and she's got serious mom credentials.
And, Lynch has a goal: to have the kind of family you'd find on a TV show. Oh, sure, this may sound trite. But she makes a convincing argument for why having a TV show family is 1) desirable and 2) attainable:
"I wanted the kind of life where cookies were baked and bonding was accomplished and Valuable Life Lessons were learned. I wanted laughter, mixed with a few tears, of course, and some frustrations of the kind that led to growth, maybe a handful of challenges and difficulties to build character (without eroding the soul), and mostly, loads of fun, joyful , wonderful memories. What I yearned for, in other words, was an entire life made up of Very Special Episodes."
Lynch figures she must meet four requirements: an agreeable husband ("there are almost no family sitcoms without one"), reasonably enthusiastic kids, a Series of Wholesome Adventures and communication. "Communication is the single driving catalyst that can turn any Wholesome Adventure into a Valuable Life Lesson," Lynch says.
The first Wholesome Adventure is a trip to Chicago which features the obligatory puking all over the hotel sofa bed. The family tours the city like troopers:
"The Hancock Observatory provided, in addition to a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan, a delightful opportunity to introduce an old phobia to a new one:
Frear of Heights, please meet Fear of Skyscraper Window Suddenly Disintegrating While My Toddler is Leaning Against It. I think you two will get along famously."
In my favorite chapter, Lynch muses what would happen if kids had their own magazine dedicated to parental torture: "Mercenaries have Soldier of Fortune; fishermen have Field & Stream; people with no sense of irony have Real Simple. What if kids had their own superspecialized publication?"
Relentless: The Magazine for Kids Committed to Chaos features a hilarious and horrifying Q&A with Lynch's toddler and preschool daughters.
"Olivia: When I'm in the middle of a scene, crying until I make myself physically sick or cramming a whole cheeseburger into my mouth at once or whatever, I'm not thinking of anything beyond making my parents suffer as much as I can at that moment. That's always the ultimate goal, no matter what.
"Caramia: She's right. .... In Time Out! the script called for Olivia to slam my finger in the door, then keep trying to pull it closed while I'm slowly building from a sildnet scream into a full-on howl. I told her, 'Look, just go for it. Don't worry about me. Slam and pull. Hard as you can.' I wanted that scene to be as real as possible."
When I started reading this book, I got out these tiny Post-It tabs to mark places where Lynch said something funny to perhaps include in this review. By page 20 I had already used about 20 tabs, so I decided to put the damn tabs away and just convince you to by the book with my sheer will and use of the word funny many times in my review.
Oh yeah, she has a lively writing style too. That's the end of my literary analysis.
One thing I kept thinking while reading this book: Sheri should blog! And she does. You can find her here.
Want to win this book? Leave a comment, and I'll choose a name on Monday. Come back tomorrow for another book or music CD giveaway.
8 comments:
Me! Me! Me! I want to win this book!
Now THAT is fiction that I'd actually read. Art imitates life, you know.
What kid in the 80's didn't want to live in the Cosby household? My interest is piqued!
How have I never heard of her? Sounds like a book worth checking out.
I listen to her in the morning. She is hilarious. Oh, and I would LOVE to win the book. :) (I think it's too late to get into the pool, but I'm gonna comment any way.)
I could always use more humor. Thanks for the link to her blog!
When I was a kid I wanted to be a member of the Partridge Family. And then I wanted Charles Ingalls to adopt me. Heck, I would've even had fun living with The Munsters!
I found you at Mommybloggers and had to pop over. Now, I'd love to read this book! My oldest son turns 13 next week and the youngest son (3 boys, 1 girl) is in preschool! I think she may have some "save my sanity" advice to share. :-)Chrissy
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