You know what? Unless you’re bugging me. And that’s why there are authors and writers way worse than me because it’s applicable to everyone. The quokka mom is also a worse writer than me, so I can look at this book and be like, yes, advice for myself. Glenn Boozan: Most surprised me. That’s a good one. I will say, and I don’t know, I’m not going to use bad language, but this is gross what I’m about to say. But it’s in the book. So, a koala mom—like when you picture koalas, they’re so cute and fuzzy and you’re like, oh my gosh. And they eat little eucalyptus leaves. But I guess like the baby koalas can’t eat eucalyptus yet when they’re very young. And so, the first solid meal that a koala mom feeds her babies is her own poop, unfortunately. And I wish there was a more delicate way to say that, but it’s just disgusting. Bianca Schulze: So, I was just curious, like, I mean, I’m assuming maybe, you know, these people in person and like, how does all this great praise for your book make you feel? So, all right. If our listeners were to take away one important point today, what would you want that to be?

Bianca Schulze: So, I want to know, since comedy is what you do, what did the writing process look for this specific book once you decided you wanted to make it a book? And it does feature a lot of animals. And the cruel and dark things they do with their baby animals. So, like, how did you decide even which animals to feature? Bianca Schulze: So yeah, and it’s totally fine to go put your kid in front of the TV to get that darn shower. Bianca Schulze: Yeah, totally. Well, since we’re talking about the Australian animals, I loved that you included the quokka because—For the latest episodes from The Growing Readers Podcast, Follow Now on your favorite podcast platform.

Now that you know more about the book “There Are Moms Way Worse Than You,” why not give it a read? It reminds you that you’re not alone in your struggles and are doing a good job.

Customer reviews

Glenn Boozan: Oh my, gosh. That is the best. That is the best review of the book I’ve ever heard. That’s great. I might steal it. It’s a great way to bond over your shared struggles and to find support from others who understand. Bianca Schulze: I am not a comedy writer and I’m not very good with timing. In fact, the only time I make my family laugh is in moments like watching the movie Inside Out, where the imaginary character Bing Bong disappears. And I start hyperventilating, sobbing, and crying. My family finds that funny.

So, I hope that I can give people maybe a little bit of a reframing moment so that they realize like, oh, man, okay, I’m not doing that bad, you know, because sometimes they think—I mean, at least my sister, she’s such a good mom. And I think with that comes this quality of, oh, she’s really hard on herself. And I just look at her every day. I’m like, your daughter loves vegetables. It’s like, what are you talking about? You’re a bad mom? You’re the best mom. So, I hope I can give some ease to moms who might be feeling stressed out. Bianca Schulze: The way they described the books like, your book is so great, too. I mean. It’s all those things. No matter how bad you think your life is, someone out there always has it worse. This book is an excellent reminder of that. Here’s a question that I ask everyone, and I’m fascinated to hear your take on it as a comedy writer and not specifically as a children’s book writer. So, I always ask, to be a writer, they say you need to be a reader first. So, was there a pivotal moment when you considered yourself a reader? So, you have this great book, and it is for parents. It’s mostly for moms, but it’s actually for dads, too. Like, where did the inspiration come from?Glenn Boozan: That is a good question. I have sort of this phrase. I mean, I’m not always good at it. Let me start by saying that. But I have this phrase that I have started saying to myself that I find very helpful whenever I’m feeling very self- judgy. I sit down, take a breath, and say, who is this thought serving? Like, who? Who benefits from me thinking this bad thing about myself? And most of the time, when I try to find an answer, it’s no one. Bianca Schulze: I love it. I am not against TV. Obviously, I’m a huge reader and have books in every room for my kids and my kids love to read. But yes, we work that TV out too. This book is also a great gift for old mother-in-laws who’ve never before questioned their past parenting skills, but should maybe start, especially now that they’re beginning to rely on daughters and sons-in-law to take care of them. Paired with full-color illustrations by Priscilla Witte, this book shares true facts from the animal kingdom that demonstrate good parenting is relative, and if you’re doing your best, yet worried you’re doing your worst, you’re doing just fine. Definitely better than panda moms, anyway, who will ditch one of the babies if they have twins because taking care of two is too damn hard.

This unique and humorous book makes an excellent gift for any mother who could use a good laugh – and some reassurance. Despite all of their struggles, they keep going. They don’t give up on their children or themselves. And that’s something we can all learn from.

So next time you feel guilty about not getting enough done around the house or worried that you’re not doing a good enough job, remember: it could be worse! Bianca Schulze: Yeah, yeah. If I speak to an Australian, they tell me I don’t sound Australian anymore, which is correct. But I went to school my entire life in Australia and of course, we learned about Australian animals, including the koala. And I did not know until I read your book that baby koalas eat their mom’s poop as their first meal. I did not know that. Bianca Schulze: It’s for adults and parents in particular. And the title is There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent. And I mean, come on, just that title alone. Thank you. I don’t know a single parent who doesn’t sometimes need a little reminder of what a great job they’re doing. And I really found my voice at UCB in New York, the sketch and improv—I don’t know if it’s defuncted now, but I think it just got sold. But that’s where I realized what I really wanted to do. And I was doing a lot of sketch and improv there and then just applied for jobs and wrote and wrote and wrote. And that’s the end of the story. Parenting is hard, and there will be times when you mess up. A lot. This book is a great way to laugh at yourself and your mistakes.