Motherhood Unfiltered: Suzy Shaw’s Guide For Moms Of Boys

Parenting. It’s the hardest job on the planet. Thankfully, professional storyteller Suzy Shaw is giving us all permission to be “highly mediocre parents.”

This is just one of the many helpful themes in Shaw’s newly authored book, “Mothers of Boys Survival Guide: Funny Adventures and Tested Advice on Raising Happy, Independent Boys.”

The Arnold resident and mom of two grown boys explained, “I think our culture of social media and ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ has made mothering very judgmental.”

So, Shaw wanted to share the adventures in raising her boys, appropriately nicknamed Earnest and Exuberance, in an authentic way so other moms could relate, laugh and possibly pick up tips. She shares her story and lessons learned in the way a good friend or older sister would.

Published by Archway and just under 180 pages, the quick read for busy moms has original illustrations inspired by the “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip. No topic for mothering boys is off limits. Shaw takes on the birds and the bees, cussing guidelines, the death wish stage, and so much more with honesty, humor and grace.

“It’s guaranteed to make the reader laugh out loud,” Shaw said.

New moms will find it a helpful resource as they begin to figure it out. Mothers “in the thick of it,” as Shaw calls it, will appreciate that the journey is bumpy, that they aren’t alone, and to keep their sense of humor. It will remind moms who’ve launched kids of their forgotten adventures.

While the book is geared toward moms of boys, mothers of daughters will also find many helpful nuggets from Shaw. She reminds her readers often to be kind to themselves.

The book has an accompanying podcast — “The MOB Podcast” — that recently launched as a resource for moms. Co-hosts Shaw and Cheryl Bohn ask experts and other moms questions about a variety of topics, including caring for newborns, navigating neurodiversity, autism, ADHD and more. New podcasts (roughly 20 minutes each because moms are short on time) drop on Wednesdays.

“It’s my hope that a community of supportive moms grows, so we can together build a better world of humans,” Shaw said.

Each podcast ends with the reminder: “Be kind to yourselves, moms!”

And they mean it. “Sometimes we’re our own worst critic,” Shaw said.

Visit www.mothersofboys.life to learn more about Shaw’s book and podcast. Buy the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Archway.