Oldest Mom On The Playground
Humorous, entertaining, and often surprisingly poignant, the essays included in Oldest Mom On The Playground detail Judy Haveson’s triumphs, tragedies, and frequent misadventures as an older-than-average first-time mother. With wit, honesty, and just a touch of creative license, Haveson explores a diverse range of topics and issues, all of which have been impacted to some extent by motherhood, focusing on sharing experiences and fostering camaraderie rather than on giving advice.
In her late twenties, when Haveson suggested that she might get a dog, her boyfriend at the time dismissively commented that she could barely take care of herself, let alone a dog. They broke up soon afterward, but his words haunted her for years to come. Despite building a successful career and enjoying a frenetic social life, as she reached her late thirties and her friends started to get married and have babies, she began to experience some severe FOMO. Still, she continued to limit her adulting to the fun parts.
Unfortunately, Haveson did not have a stellar track record when it came to dating, which makes for some amusing anecdotes about peculiar meetings with even more peculiar men in the book but not for ease of procreation in the real world. It’s lucky, then, that she eventually met Adam via an online dating site, married him at the age of forty, and became pregnant with her first child at the age of forty-three. And her experiences from thereon out inspired her to write the collected essays to both motivate and commiserate with fellow “older moms.”
There are plenty of funny episodes recounted in Oldest Mom On The Playground, but perhaps some of the funniest occur in the essays “You’re Not Fat, You’re Pregnant,” where Haveson wears a fake pregnancy bump to try on maternity clothes, and “Adventures in Finding a Nanny,” where she ventures into the world of online childcare recruitment. There are also a fair few awkward instances where it’s difficult to tell if they’re amusing or mortifying, such as the intrusive questions mentioned in “Are You in Menopause?”
However, despite the focus on the more outlandish and absurd aspects of motherhood, Haveson doesn’t shy away from the darker days. For instance, “Pregnant at Forty, Forty-one, and Forty-two…” details her experience of multiple miscarriages, while “Time for Me to Fly” provides a brief overview of significant trauma, although it does end on an uplifting note. The collection also diverges somewhat from the topic of motherhood by exploring Haveson’s experience as a member of the sandwich generation, for example, “Do We Get Frequent Flier Miles?”
The essays included in Oldest Mom On The Playground are an eclectic bunch, meaning that there’s something to suit almost every mood. Through a canny combination of humor and pathos, Haveson’s writings manage to feel both personal and universal, like a good friend offering some much-needed encouragement and understanding. Plus, there are a lot of laughs to be had from her exploits.
Author | Judy Haveson |
---|---|
Star Count | 4/5 |
Format | eBook |
Page Count | 307 pages |
Publisher | Self-published |
Publish Date | 24-Sep-2024 |
ISBN | |
Bookshop.org | Buy this Book |
Issue | August 2024 |
Category | Parenting & Families |
Share |