Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection

"With humor, vulnerability, and heart, Kristen Howerton writes unflinchingly about what it means to be raising children in today's world and how to liberate ourselves from the myth of perfect motherhood."—Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed and Love Warrior, founder of Together Rising

In Rage Against the Minivan, blogger, podcaster, and licensed marriage and family therapist Kristen Howerton lends solidarity to those who love their kids like crazy but feel like parenting is making them crazy, too. With her signature blend of vulnerability, sarcasm, and insight, Howerton shares her unexpected journey from infertility to adoption to pregnancy to divorce to dealing with the shock and awe of raising teens.

This book is for
• the parent who had it totally figured out before they had kids
• the parent who said "I will never . . ." and now they have
• the parent who needs a time-out and a nap as badly as their child does
• the parent who looks like they have it all together but feels like a hot mess on the inside
• the parent who looks like a hot mess on the outside, too
• the parent who asks Am I good enough? Doing enough? Doing it right? What's wrong with me? What's wrong with these children? Are they eighteen yet?

Recounting her successes, trials, mishaps, and hard-won wisdom as a parent of four kids—both white and black—Howerton tackles many of the thorny issues parents face today, like hard conversations about racism, disciplining other people's kids, the reality of Dad Privilege, and (never) attaining that elusive work/life balance. Whether it's about toddler tantrums or teen angst, Howerton reveals how she learned to opt out from the pressure to do it all perfectly and opt in to excelling at average.

Poignant and relatable, Rage Against the Minivan is a permission slip to allow yourself to be a "good enough" parent, learning how to love your kids well while letting yourself off the hook.