This book is for the mom or dad or grandparent who is currently fat in the middle of raising kids and thinks they're either doing it all wrong or they'll never make it. It's for those who wake up before dawn to make sure the kids get a healthy breakfast before heading out for school. It's for the parent who struggles to help their child overcome unique challenges (in my case, autism). It's for the one who sits up late at night, worried about whether or not their child will make it to college. It's for the one who cries during choir performances and laughs at silly faces. It's for those that work all day and come home at night to make a meal, do the laundry and hand-sew that DANG sheep costume for the school play.



This book is also for those without children. It's for the young person out there second-guessing bringing children into the world. It's for the ones who consider themselves broken and don't want to pass on those characteristics to another generation. It's for those who can't stop watching the horrors of the evening news. It's for the wanderer who doesn't think they have time to commit to parenting. It's for the cynic who believes the world is overpopulated. It's for the one who is simply afraid to take that step - to create a human being and be dedicated to their care and feeding for ... forever.



This book exists because not only WAS I that parent, I'm STILL that parent. I'm the mom crying in the bathroom while the bath water runs so no one can hear me. I'm the mom who wonders if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm making horrible mistakes. Have they brushed their teeth this week? Are they eating enough vegetables? Do I have them in enough extra curriculars?



This is a book about how raising my kids to be functioning members of society was not only my job, it was my greatest desire. Knowing that they have grown to be independent, respectful, happy adults means that, in a way, I made it, too. How I did it (and kept my sanity) may not be entirely traditional, but it worked for us. That finish-line moment, knowing that my husband and I molded these amazing people into unique, wonderful wildflowers. This is our story. Hopefully, by the very first page you realize ... you are not alone.