Do 'milestones' feel like millstones? Does the thought of waiting at the school gate make you more nervous than your five-year-old? Do you find yourself sometimes tempted to just let your children fight to the death? And does flicking through childcare books leave you feeling mostly bewildered and blamed? Then The Mumsnet Rules are what you have been waiting for.
Drawn from the message boards of mumsnet.com and based on the assumption that if thousands of parents have found a piece of advice to be helpful then you can be pretty sure it's worth knowing, this book shapes that collective wisdom into dozens of dos and don'ts that will lead you through the minefield that is twenty-first-century parenting.
From tantrums to teenagers, parasites to parties, competitive parenting to choosing the right school, and including:
Don't heed the gurus
Do cut your children's hair off
Do bribe and corrupt them through exams
Don't let them dress like a Ho
Do be hypocritical about swearing
and Never buy them a guinea pig...
The Mumsnet Rules will arm you with the insight that usually only comes with hindsight (as well as teaching you how to make a very classy Easter bonnet out of a KFC bucket).