Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Book Review

It's true, they do.

I'm a good mom, I had (and sometimes still have) scary thoughts.

My friends are good moms, my clients are good moms, and they've had thoughts that have been troubling to them too.

The kinds of thoughts you're embarrassed to say aloud and make you feel like you are less than, like you're the only one thinking them.

But you're not. You're not alone. This book is an honest telling of the not-so-awesome moments of parenthood and lets the reader know that there is help, there is light at the end of that dark tunnel, and there are even a few laughs along the way toward healing.

With thoughtful and life-like illustrations throughout and the book being laid out more like a comic book than a heavy read, this is one to have on your shelf. Gift it to your friends, gift it to yourself. I guarantee you that there will be at least one scenario between the covers that will hit close to home.

Our country has come a long way in making maternal mental health part of the conversation throughout pregnancy and the postpartum months, but we have a lot more work to do. I think that the conversation is made a bit easier by books like this one. The topics are heavy, but the delivery is light and it normalizes what so many of us feel we need to stuff way down and hope that no one ever finds out. For many, intrusive thoughts are fleeting and might only occur a handful of times throughout their lives. For others, intrusive thoughts are a daily, if not hourly struggle, and for far too many postpartum people especially, those intrusive thoughts take over and leave babies and families without a loved one far too soon.

Don’t suffer alone, don’t go through parenthood alone. We aren’t meant to be solitary beings, we are meant to live in community.