Let me start by saying that I am not a parent. I don't know if I'll ever have kids, but at this time, I do not have them. I still love and will be recommending this book to all those who have or are thinking of having their own crotch goblins.

The only bad thing to say about this book is that neither Gwenna nor her husband know how to make a PB&J. That's it.

Now for the good. Even as a non-parent I found this book relatable and informative and just funny. Gwenna takes the most basic of ideas that can be found on the parenting side of TicTok and makes them even easier to understand and with stories from her own life.

This is a reactive or gentle parenting book that presents this type of parenting in a really relatable, realistic way with real life examples of how the author has put it into practice. It's not new information, but when paired with other books on the topic, I think this is really helpful for getting a wider variety of thoughts on how to apply these ideas in real life.

This was fun! I’ve followed Gwenna for a while and always find her takes hilarious and refreshing and this book was no different !

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Gwenna Laithland calls herself a "parenting unexpert". She's like the rest of us parents: exhausted, overwhelmed, and not really knowing what the hell we're doing. "Momma Cusses" details her parenting journey with sharp wit and sarcasm that relate to the term "responsive parenting" while also providing suggestions to the reader about what she has done to mold her children into respectable members of society.

This book exceeded my expectations. Of course, when this was listed as a book to be released on NetGalley, I had to get ahold of it. The synopsis hooked me. I am a mother of twin sons, and life is a zoo with seemingly endless chaos. Gwenna's stories were not only relatable, but also great stories about what could be to come in my parenting journey.

Although Gwenna uses humor to detail "responsive parenting" and her story as a parent of a teenager and two small children, the book contained ways in which I had to have some uncomfortable introspection about how I am parenting my children as well as the ways in which I can improve myself to be a better parent to them. I appreciated how Gwenna continued stating that every child is different and that you know your child best. Many parenting books think that their word is God with little to no variation of whatever ideology it is they are trying to convey. Gwenna was flexible and realistic with her reader, which I loved.

If you are a parent, especially one with young children, and looking for a laugh and some advice that you can use, please pick this book up on March 5th!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this early copy of this book!

I follow Gwenna on Instagram and love her gentle parenting content. I love how she takes that "ick" people get out of gentle parenting and shows it for what it really is in a humorous and relatable way. It's not making our kids soft, it's teaching them to regulate their emotions and that their thoughts, opinions, and consent do really matter.

Throughout the entire book I heard it all in Gwenna's voice in my head, and I didn't even do the audiobook. If you enjoy following Gwenna and her content on social media, this book is absolutely for you. While reading the book, and now that I have completed it, I have found myself to be more intentional on the advice given. I have a highly sensitive child, and while I was already aware of and practicing a lot of the methods in this book, it was a reminder that I can do better. I can take a moment to reflect on my own reactions and do better for her. Thank you Gwenna, I hope you write some more!

One of the best parenting style books I’ve ever had the pleasure to delve into. Gwenna lays it all out on the table for parents to take the tidbits they need, when they need it! Her approach to responsive parenting is aspirations for me and I hope I can continue to learn and grow. I’ll keep reading this again and again for more inspiration and a little guidance when I need it!

There are so many parenting books out there that it gets hard to choose which one may be right for you. I knew this one was perfect for me by the cover alone! What I found when I got to reading it was a book that dealt with some of the worst parts of parenting in such a humorous way. It can be so hard to laugh about things when you're neck deep in dealing with it, but this book helped!
If you loved the book, I highly recommend following her on instagram and tik Tok, as she posts hilarious little nuggets there as well.
5/5 stars!

This was…ok. There are a few tidbits of good information and ideas here and there but it spends so much time on disclaimers and then most of the rest trying soooooo hard to be funny and witty about every single thing, that it overshadows most of the actual helpfulness. I do think for the right reader this book may help them feel seen in their struggles cause yah, parenting is hard. If you don’t have anyone to commiserate about that with, this book might help you feel a little less alone in the parenthood trenches. But for me, it wasn’t really anything new and it just felt kind of…exhausting…to get through.

Isn’t that all we want as parents? To work ourselves out of a job, because our kids have becoming decent at adulting? Perhaps adulting EVEN BETTER than their parents?

I’ve followed Gwenna (Gwenna, can I call you Gwenna?) for a few years, now, on Instagram (I know, she’s a TikTok sensation, but I’m 45, so…) and I’ve always enjoyed her blend of Gentle Parenting, Candid Speech, and Hair Colour.

Do I wish I’d had this book 15 years ago, when I had my own littles (including twins), yes.
Is having this book now, instead, still helpful? Also, yes.

I enjoyed her Field Guide, and TL:DR sections (I did read, tho, I swear), as well as her anecdotes.

I particularly appreciated both her repetition of things like, “Responsive Parenting isn’t Permissive Parenting”, “There is no such thing as a parenting expert”, and the word, “fuck”.

Have a kid? Read this book.
Want a kid? Read this book.
Love a kid? Read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillain Audio for this hilariously helpful ARC.

This author is laugh out loud funny! I like the way they explain situations and don't alienate the audience. Overall, great book!

Momma Cusses by Gwenna Laithland is a delightful non fiction read for parents, parents to be, and those looking to learn a bit more about responsive child care in general. this might be my favorite non fiction arc that has ever hit my inbox.This concise and tightly written work is full of insight and humor. I will be looking forward to grabbing a physical copy as soon as the the books are released.

This is the perfect gift for any parents, new or experienced.. Gwenna gives the most helpful advice for all those new challenges without making parents feel like failures. Her points are right on and she adds humor to every situation. The best part are the quick wrap ups at the end of each chapter because we all know parents don’t have much free time to read.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I stumbled upon Gwenna on Tik Tok a couple months ago and loved her honesty and charisma. This is not your normal parenting book it is more of a parenting companion to give you a boost when you need it. Give yourself some grace and know that youre not alone in the trenches.

I've been following Gwenna on social media for awhile now, and one thing that has stuck out to me is how genuine she always comes off. She's the kind of woman I'd love to sit down and have dinner with and just talk about anything and everything.

Full disclosure: I'm not a parent and I don't think that's my path in life, but reading her book gave me a new appreciation for parenthood and how small changes in the way people can parent can make the biggest differences. I loved Gwenna's honesty, vulnerability, sass and relatable-ness. While motherhood may not be in my future, I do have little ones in my life and there are so many lessons that I can take from Gwenna that will help me build great relationships with them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a perfect example of people getting book deals because of their popularity rather than having any merit.

This book provides nothing new or helpful. It’s repetitive. I can probably deduce that half the things she says comes from her social media. Therefore if you like her learn from her social media and save yourself the waste of money this book is.

Gwenna Laithland provides a refreshing perspective in the parenting book genre. Using her trademark humor and sass, she guides the reader through various behavioral scenarios, developmental stages, and offers strategies and tips all based around responsive parenting. Gwenna makes the concept easily accessible and attainable to the reader.

I have followed Gwenna on TikTok for quite a while and very much enjoy her humor and parenting perspective. I find most parenting books to be guilt-inducing, full of criticism, and with strategies that would never have any effect on a human child. I would much rather take advice from Gwenna as she refers to her children as “crotch goblins” and reminds the reader that responsive parenting begins with the parent and that our job is to parent ourselves out of a job. I especially appreciated her strategies for co-regulation and setting boundaries with developmentally-appropriate explanations. I came away from the book feeling as if I have some new tools in my parenting toolbox.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: March 5, 2024

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

We are all human right? We all have our good days and bad right? Well thanks to this book that we can all relate to we can see that all our highs and all those lows are normal. This funny book on the realities of parenting is brutally honest and so so needed.

Wow! Hit the nail on the head - this was such a relatable read. Definitely one I will want on my shelf for reference.

I haven’t followed the author before on TikTok so I didn’t know what I was expecting going into this book. But it was mostly fun and reassuring as a new parent. I guess I was expecting it to be more relevant to me at this stage of my life but I feel this book might be more helpful for parents with slightly older kids.
I also got the audiobook of this one and the author is very good at her narration, keeping the chill vibe going throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was AWESOME! I am not someone that enjoys parenting books - I would rather find an article or talk to someone than sit and read a whole parenting book....and I say this as an avid reader! They often come off preachy or outdated...neither is an issue with this one. Gwenna Laithland is hilarious and never claims to be an expert, just a parent that has done this for a while and made a lot of mistakes and made a lot of changes to address those mistakes....her writing is approachable and relevant and I promise you every human, parent and otherwise, can take something from this book.

My favorite part: the book doesn't take itself too seriously, but makes sure the highlight the "hey, this part is really important so let's cut the jokes for 30 seconds" portions. Plus, she acknowledges "hey, this concept is important and this is how we address it - but it might not work for you and that's okay! But maybe this can spark your own ideas?" a lot - no two people or families are the same.

I also love how applicable everything is to the general human experience - yes the focus is parenting and as a mom of a toddler I LOVED it for that. But, I'm also a flawed human and a lot of the concepts and techniques discussed in this book are just good practice for me too.

Honestly this is a great parenting book - but it's also just a great book for humans to read and reflect on. Tiny humans have the most to learn about being a person, but we're all learning new things and new ways to exist as we grow and change....and this book has a lot of things that can help with that.

I can't recommend this highly enough - go check it out!