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  • The Kids Are in Bed

  • Finding Time for Yourself in the Chaos of Parenting
  • By: Rachel Bertsche
  • Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
  • Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)
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The Kids Are in Bed

By: Rachel Bertsche
Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
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Summary

"All new moms should shove a copy of The Kids Are in Bed in the diaper bag between the asswipes and Aquaphor! A perfect guide on how-to not morph solely into someone’s mom and retain your badassery in a world of Disneyfication and baby sharks.” (Jill Kargman, author of Sprinkle Glitter on My Grave and creator of Odd Mom Out

Picture it - it's 8:30 p.m. You close the door to your child's room just as you hear your partner closing the dishwasher, and now it's time for an hour or two of glorious freedom. What do you do? Read the book you've been waiting to crack open all day? Chat on the phone with a friend, glass of wine in hand, or go out with pals and share a whole bottle? Or, like many modern parents, do you get caught up in chores, busywork, and social media black holes? 

In an original survey conducted for this book, 71 percent of parents said their free time didn't feel free at all, because they were still thinking about all the things they should be doing for their kids, their jobs, and their households. Rachel Bertsche found herself in exactly that bind. After dozens of interviews with scientists and parenting experts, input from moms and dads across the country, and her own experiments with her personal time, Rachel figured out how to transform her patterns and reconnect to her pre-kids life. In The Kids Are in Bed, other parents can learn to do the same, and learn to truly enjoy the time after lights-out. 

©2020 Rachel Bertsche (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Bertsche, a journalist and mother of two, encourages fellow parents to find, or create, free time for themselves...the suggestions in [the] book are laudably specific, and heeding them might very well improve one’s own parental happiness gap.” (Publishers Weekly

"Honest and funny, this feels like a much-needed conversation with a  good friend, which is always worth the time.” (Booklist)

“As stress and its costs to individuals and society come under increasing scrutiny, experts are lining up to point the finger at a burgeoning problem: the stress brought on by today’s intense parenting styles ... [The Kids Are in Bed] is a practical, well-thought-out argument for a different approach - one in which parental free time is a priority." (The Chicago Tribute)

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Insightful and helpful

As a mom of a toddler this was the book I was looking for. It was comforting to read others go through the same feelings and motions. The book is cleverly structured and included some insightful statistics. I think there are plenty of helpful advice in there to help any parent increase their me-time or pockets of indulgence, as the author calls them, aid your love and social life as a parent. Sometimes I just felt the author could talk a little bit less about her own experience/day/activities/etc as it didn't seem that very interesting every time or aiding getting the point across.

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