This is a good parenting book. Had me laughing and encouraged to keep going and breathe and calm the heck down!

As an adoptive Mum of children with “unique” needs, I can relate to a lot of Melanie’s parenting experiences. I have had to, over my own parenting journey, let go of a lot of my own hopes and dreams and lower my expectations— which I think is a good and healthy thing, because I can let my children be themselves. Reading this book has helped to alleviate some of my lingering “mum-guilt” and stay the course.

I spent so much time underlining and texting passages to my friends because I just felt so seen and heard as I read this book, and wanted to spread the encouragement to all my Mama-friends.

Her pop culture references and hilarious similes had me constantly cracking up. She is definitely a bit quirky, but I’m someone who embraces the weird in myself, and it feels like Melanie would just “get me.”

I also loved the helpful lists of suggestions at the end of each chapter, and felt like many are very practical takeaways. (After reading an advice book, I think it’s great to have an answer to the question, “Now what?” or “What are my next steps?”, and these lists are a great place to start).

And anyone who comes out in staunch support of the Oxford comma is a friend of mine. ;)

Okay, so my sense of humor is a little drier than some people's... but even I liked the humor in this book. Melanie Dale cracks me up, and overall I enjoyed this book about parenting. I've abandoned quite a few parenting books that take themselves too seriously so the fact that I finished this one should say something. It was practical (just relax mama!) and reassuring (your kids will be okay), and had some fun, relatable stories about kids and mom life. She is a Christian but doesn't push her beliefs or use a ton of scripture, and all her pop culture references add a bit of edge to the book.

I did only rate this book 3 stars out of 5 because I found some parts to be a bit repetitive (all the lists seemed to repeat content in the chapters). I also would have liked some sources/documentation to lend credibility to her approach to lighten up, let go, and calm down about parenting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I've only found a handful of parenting books that I've read and actually taken something from. Calm the H*CK Down definitely has some good points, but I found it mainly to be pretty common sense.

I liked how the author included a lot of pop culture for our enjoyment and never seemed to take herself too seriously.

Overall, a decent parenting book but not one of my favorites.

I found some helpful tips and could relate to some of the book but not alot of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Didn’t love it. It felt condescending. I get it, I need to let things go. A lot easier said than done though. This was not for me.

This the one! This is the book that helped me just say 'F it' and go with the flow when it comes to parenting. When I tell you, I've literally managed to take the stress that I had on my shoulders off because of this book- I mean it! I'm a single parent now and I was extremely overwhelmed. When I got this book, I was skeptical. I was like there's no way reading some parenting book would help but it did. The quirky touches from the book also helped me relax and realize I'm not alone in my thoughts.. Glad I selected it and thank you for approving me to review this book.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ⁣
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If you’re anything like me, you’ve read a lot of parenting books - on the search for the number 42 (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference), but we always come up short. After reading book after book our brains are filled with conflicting information and our kids are still having a meltdown in the middle of the grocery store.⁣
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At some point we give up, and go into blind. Until, now, when we get to benefit from 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇*𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐆𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐔𝐩 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. Melanie Dale isn't some preachy child and family psychologist, she doesn’t have all the answers, she’s one of us - a mom who is leading as she goes.⁣
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𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇*𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 is more like a conversation with a friend, in the trenches of parenting with you. She gets real with us, she shares what works, she shares what doesn’t, and she reminds us to relax - because we got this - really moms and dads - you got this.⁣
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You know those parenting books that have those lame inspirational quotes at the beginning of every chapter? This ain’t one of them - it does have quotes from horror movies and television shows, which totally means she gets it - parenting isn’t a walk through a field of flowers, it’s a trigger horror movie... Plus anyone who quotes Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my people.⁣
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If you’re looking for great conversational parenting advice, a good laugh, or just to be reminded you are not in this shit show alone, pick up this book - you won’t regret it.

I thought this was an actually helpful and realistic book about parenting while incorporating humor and being a blast to read.

Thank you so much to Atria books and to #Netgalley for this laugh out loud funny look at parenting.
Its been hard being a parent during this pandemic and this book was just the perfect distration. It also reminded me that I am not along!

I enjoyed this read.

I highlighted many pages to refer back to!

I love this Author's voice and perspective.

Wonderful read!

*Recv'd a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is not your typical parenting book! I appreciated Melanie’s humor and wit with her book. The tips she gives at the end of each chapter are achievable. I really enjoyed this book.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

i love Melanie Dale! She is hilarious and witty, and in an age where it seems everyone expects perfection from parents as well as their children, she does such a great job of bringing levity. Of reminding us that what matters so much as a parent is that our kids feel seen, known, and loved. That we show up for them imperfectly, and apologize when we make mistakes. Our kids will make plenty of them, she reminds us. I think this would be such a great book for anyone in the throes of motherhood with kids of any age that wonder if they're doing a good job. Would definitely recommend.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

I absolutely love the title of the book.
Let's be real, as parents, we constantly doubt and second guess ourselves.
We always wonder if we are doing enough or if we are completely failing at this.
This book reminds us that we are all doing absolutely fine.
It was comical and so easy to read.
I honestly couldn't put the book down!


I'd definitely purchase a copy and check out other books by the author.

This was just what I needed. I was down-to-earth and quite funny. I didn't feel like a bad parent, I felt like I had found a supportive friend that would help me through this. It's helpful, but also makes me feel like I"m not alone in this parenting thing! Overall, this was a great book!

This is a decently funny read about parenting and areas in which we can lighten up. It felt a bit too light for my taste, but it was funny.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first parenting book I've read that wasn't completely full of science and studies and a bunch of info that made me feel worse. The goal of this book is exactly as the title suggests, getting you to calm down about your parenting. Each chapter is focused on getting you to lighten up about a certain aspect of raising kids, and they vary but are fairly universally applicable (from behavior and language to feelings, friends, and relationships, with 16 total topics). The chapters are heavy on humorous (and sometimes cringe-worthy) stories from the author's life. There is good anecdotal advice, and each chapter ends with a list that applies to that content.
I would have preferred more stories related to the application of the advice, rather than a lot of retelling of instances from her family experience and the author's childhood. It was hard to make connections in some places, like why a story was being used. The book felt at times like it was trying too hard to be humorous, and I think I expected a little more meat, since it calls out in the description and the introduction that she is a special needs/adoptive/in-vitro mom and has gone through some hard things. Overall, it was a reassuring book and did provide some useful tips.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The prologue of this book describes it perfectly. This isn't a preachy parenting book. This isn't even a person that appears to outwardly "have it all together." This book was humorous, while also providing pointers. I've heard before to lower your expectations, but it just seems like a blanket statement not meant to actually happen. Melanie makes the reader realize that really, truly we need to make life more realistic and enjoyable for everyone. This book was a fun, relief to read. A breath of fresh air into what society expects of us...and the expectations we put on ourselves.

This was the first really fun parenting book I've read and I felt like it still managed to give good advice. Dale carefully navigates lots of parenting topics, including raising older kids, which is a subject that tends to not get near as much shelf space as baby books. There are some tender moments and also times I laughed so hard out loud that my kid wouldn't stop bugging me to know what was funny. I will never understand why "heck" is censored as the title but think that if you are drawn to a book about being a calmer parent, you'll find some good advice within.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A parenting book that is actually FUN to read and full of practical, helpful advice. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book and making lots of mental notes. Reading this felt like a (helpful) conversation from a friend a few seasons ahead in parenting. A great read for any parent—I plan on returning to it whenever I feel myself getting too worked up about things that don’t really matter in the long run.