Welcome to the first in our ongoing series of Salty Mama Book Reviews! We hope you’ll join us in The Salty Mamas Book Club – read with us, join us in discussions on Facebook, and check out our reviews!
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There are two things you should know before you add “Babyproofing Your Marriage: How to Laugh More, Argue Less and Communicate Better As Your Family Grows” to your “to-read” list.
The first is that you must either a) read this book in total secret or b) be ready for anyone and everyone to ask if you and your partner are doing okay. I’m a big fan of carrying a book EVERYWHERE. Which means that inevitably I leave books all over the place. Which leads to everything from sad looks from strangers or concerned questions from close friends and family when you read a book that implies that the baby in your belly is going to destroy your marriage. So just be prepared.
The second is something a very good friend gave me a loving heads up about, and I am now paying that forward to you, dear reader.
There is no delicate way to put this, so I’m not going to dance around the issue.
This book is going to tell you to do certain acts. Oral acts. A MAJOR takeaway from this book is that these loving services may very well save your marriage. So be prepared.
That stuff aside, there’s a LOT of awesome information in this book, so even if you think “are you kidding me? I made him dinner and am raising his kids and am up to my elbows in spit up and poop and now I’m supposed to do what???,” just trust me for a solid second and give it a try. The book. And probably that-which-shall-not-be-named, but the book for sure.
Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, onto the review!
Gut reaction: LOVED IT.
There were some MAJOR takeaways that I implemented darn near immediately. One of the first things I realized was that I’m HARD on my husband. On a daily basis, I don’t think I am. I think he has it easy. Heck, I generously give him TONS of advice on what to do and how to do it! How loving is that?? Unfortunately, I learned recently that he just think this makes me a control freak! And guess what? It makes it not super fun for him to do things with the kids! Fun fact: Men do not like to do things when they are set up for failure. Now, I try to empower him and set him up for success. In some cases have I lowered the bar for him? Sure have! But it gives him a chance to fly over it. To gain confidence. And the positive reinforcement makes him WANT to do more with the kids. Win – freaking – win!!!
The other thing that I now preach to everyone I can find is to GO OUT OF TOWN AND LEAVE THE KIDS WITH YOUR PARTNER. Whenever I first suggest this to someone, I always get a response that’s some version of, “Oh, I can’t do that.” Why? “Well he doesn’t know what she eats.” “My kids are REALLY busy and it’s just a lot to take care of.” “He’s never been alone with both kids for more than a couple hours.” “We have a unique situation because my kids are [fill in the blank].” Well guess what? Lots of people have kids that are really busy. And we ALL have unique situations. But if you don’t give him the chance he will never know what she eats, he’ll never be alone with the kids, and by God he will NEVER understand what you do each and every single day until he gets the opportunity to live your life. Not for a few hours, not for a day, you’ve got to go out of town for a solid two nights to let the reality really sink in.
Lest you think I don’t practice what I preach, after reading this book, I booked a three day cruise with my girlfriends. Yes a cruise. I couldn’t turn around, come home early – shit, I didn’t even have cell phone reception. I left my husband with three kids. Cole was 3 years, 9 months. Evie was 2 years, 3 months. Izzie was 5 months old. And had never taken a bottle, no matter how hard we tried. And yes, I left them all. Here you go, take a minute to be appalled at how heartless I am, I can handle it.
Done? Okay, moving on…
Guess what? He handled his SHIT! He kept the two older kids fed, entertained, alive. He got the baby to take a bottle. He did all the carseat buckles and got clothes on the kids and kept them in clean diapers the whole weekend. Did I think he could? Eh, I was pretty skeptical to be completely honest. Did he think he could? He was a healthy blend of overly confident and naïve enough to have no idea what he was getting himself info. But the end result was that he stepped up, took care of the kids, and best of all, had an opportunity to bond with the kids that was never available to him with me always hanging out in the wings. And I knew he could do it, which is such an amazing feeling to have.
Now, I know I said I wouldn’t bring up you-know-what (and yes, I’ve equated this act with Voldemort a few times, so sue me) but I feel like I need to clarify something before y’all write me off as someone who turned in their feminist card, put on an apron and bowed down to serve my husband. THAT is not what the book is endorsing. At the end of the day, you need to find what makes your husband feel loved. Feel appreciated. Feel special. That-which-shall-not-be-named is generally a safe catch-all way to show your partner appreciation. But that might not be your Boo’s favorite way to be appreciated. That might not be on your menu. That’s FINE. But find what is, and do that. A lot.
These are just a few of the nuggets of advice that I swear I couldn’t live without. And in case you’re thinking, eh, our kids are older and my partner and I are doing just fine, I’d STILL say to read this book. I finally got around to reading it when we were gearing up for Baby #3. It’s like a textbook in my house. I am forever flipping back through it to find a helpful hint, tip, or piece of advice.
I can honestly say that my marriage truly is better because of this book. And that is worth every single penny.
Grab your copy here! We’d love to hear what you think 🙂
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Next month we’ll be reading/reviewing “It’s Okay Not to Share and Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids.” We hope you’ll get a copy and join The Salty Mamas Bookclub!! Don’t forget to follow The Salty Mamas on Facebook so you don’t miss out on our upcoming Facebook Live event, The Salty Mamas Book Club Margarita Monday, on September 18, 2017!
I read this book when we were trying to conceive! I highly recommend it as well! So much great info!
I need to read this. I feel like I’ve been really hard on my husband lately!
ME TOO. Which is when I tend to go back to to the book the most. It honestly did a LOT to help me see things from his perspective. And there were quite a few places where I found passages that I read to my husband that helped me express some of my feelings too.
Lol, I have a story that is WAY too long for a comment section about when my oldest was 10ish months old and I hated my husband. I was angry and pissed and thought he got off in life way too easily. BUT I decided to save my marriage and the result of that is our second child, lol. Great post. Sounds like a book I should read.
I think you’d like it!! I read it when I was unexpectedly pregnant with our third (our first was 2.5 and our second had just turned a year) and it was literally life changing. And I HATE when people say literally and mean figuratively. So….yeah ?
This definitely sounds like a book I need to read (if I could find the hours in a day to read it). I know one thing for sure, I definitely need to book some time away and allow him to handle the parenting duties all on his own! Great advice!
I know – Jaymi and I have both struggled with finding the time to commit to reading! But if you can make the time it’s definitely worth it ? And ALL THE YES to leaving him with the kids. He’ll appreciate you more and vice versa!
it sounds like a really great book-finding the balance within parenting and marriage is hard!
I just went and bought this for my kindle app! As we have our youngest one due in a few months, I need to read this because I know I am super hard on my boyfriend. I agree with your girls getaway from the hunny and kids. My friends and I just did a Vegas trip and loved every minute of it and my boyfriend survived without me. We are planning another trip for next year and the baby will only be about 6 months!
oh my goodness! I LOVE your candidness and honesty with this post. I recently read an article and it really affected me (in a good way). I was unappreciative and not showing him love the way he wanted to (and yes, this means beyond the mouth haha). I’m a terrible reader as it takes me months to finish a book but this one sounds like it would be hard for me to put down. Thanks again for sharing!
Haha, we are all about being candid! It can be a tough pill to swallow when you think you’re trying and realize it just might not be the right way! It was definitely a page turner, but also something you could easily read peice by peice and still enjoy and get great advice from! Enjoy!
Great review! I definitely need to check this book out. Babies make marriage hard!! But, I have NO problem taking a girls trip. SIGN ME UP!
Great read! I unfortunately, give my fiance some great advice on how to take care of our daughter. I saw it as helping too, but he also sees it as me trying to control the way we take care of her. Definitely some good take away points!
-Ashley
It’s soooo easy to fall into this habit. I have to proactively remind myself about this on a very regular basis.
Great review! Even after four kids, I’m always looking for ways to improve our marriage. I don’t want to assume everything is great and let it get stagnate. I will definitely check this book out!