Mama Tried Parenting Cartoons
These Hysterical Cartoons Perfectly Capture Modern Parenthood
In the wee hours of the night, when you are nursing or pumping and feeling like you're on an episode of The Twilight Zone, if there's one thing a mom needs, it's a good laugh. Emily Flake's been there and experienced that and has documented her experiences in the best way she knows how — hysterically spot-on cartoons. The writer, illustrator, and New Yorker cartoonist (which should give you an idea about her sense of humor) has put together a baby manual of sorts, poking fun at the ridiculously competitive sport of parenting.
As Emily writes in the opening of the just-released Mama Tried: Dispatches From the Seamy Underbelly of Modern Parenting:
"We live in weird times for parenting. More specifically, we live in profoundly spazzy times for parenting. The Internet provides us with a million little rabbit holes to fall down every day, researching things like vaccines, or the hazards of BPA lining, or Magda Gerber's 'respect-based' approach vs. Attachment Parenting. Never before in human history has it been so possible to convince yourself you're doing everything horribly, horribly wrong. We are all freaking the f--- out, all the time."
All of that adds up to some biting and eerily relatable cartoons poking fun at the early days of pregnancy ("Sweet Baby Jesus just so goddamn tired!"), the first few weeks at home (a comparison of "my best friend vs. my breast friend"), and the wonder of the toddler years. You won't know if you should laugh or cry as you see yourself in so many of her observations!
Read through to see some of Emily's hilarious comics — we promise, this may be the most truthful pregnancy and parenting guide you've ever read!
