"If there is one thing Karen Johnson has learned through her 15+ years of motherhood, it's this: mothers want to be seen, and they want to know they're not alone. From the early days of swaddling babies and wrangling sticky toddlers, to the bittersweet moment kids head off to college, moms have sought advice and support from other moms in their communities. Moms give all of themselves to their kids, stepping away from personal careers and long-held dreams to stay at home and raise their kids, ensuring their children have the most fulfilling life possible. But it's often not until they become empty-nesters that they start to wonder--what's next? What Do I Want to Be When (They) Grow Up is the perfect book for the moms who find themselves at a crossroads, trying to discern what life has in store for them now that their kids are (mostly) grown up"-- Provided by publisher.
Helpful, inspiring guide for mothers seeking to flourish and succeed after their kids grow up
In What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up? (And Other Thoughts from a 40-Something Mom), renowned parenting influencer Karen Johnson provides a fun, easy-to-understand, and inspiring guide for mothers currently experiencing an empty nest, or who see one on the horizon, and are looking to lead their best, most fulfilling lives and feel comfortable that they're not alone in their struggles. This book draws upon stories and experiences from Johnson and mothers around her, helping readers seek out new passions, including new career paths, to avoid feeling as if they are solely defined by motherhood.
In this book, Johnson explores topics including:
- Taking risks, putting yourself out there, getting stronger mentally and physically, and fostering positive relationships
- Navigating the wondrously weird world of perimenopause and aging bodies with confidence, knowledge, and grace
- Working through the very real emotions of guilt, anxiety, failure, and shame that often accompany this transitory period in mothers' lives
What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up? (And Other Thoughts from a 40-Something Mom) earns a well deserved spot on the bookshelves of all mothers seeking to develop individualism, mindfulness, and genuine feelings of contentment and happiness as they turn the page to the next chapter of their lives.
Prologue ix
Chapter 1: What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up? 1
Chapter 2: Guilt 11
Chapter 3: You Cant Do It All, So Quit Trying 17
Chapter 4: When Mothers Are Ghosts 25
Chapter 5: How Much Are SAHMs Actually Worth? 29
Chapter 6: The Default Parenting Ferris Wheel 35
Chapter 7: That Day I Hiked 14 Miles and Braced for a Hip Replacement (But
Also Realized Something about Me as a Mom) 41
Chapter 8: Hi, Im Sweating! (WTF Is Happening to My Body?) 49
Chapter 9: On Aging and Beauty Culture (So, I Guess I Have a Turkey Neck
Now? Whatever) 57
Chapter 10: On Friendships 63
Chapter 11: The Comparison Trap 69
Chapter 12: The Water Challenge (and How We Need to Reframe Success) 77
Chapter 13: Get Thee to a Therapist! 81
Chapter 14: Of Course Were Pissed Off 89
Chapter 15: Anxiety, Perfectionism, + a Crippling Fear of Failure = a Toxic
Cocktail that Does Not Mix with Motherhood 95
Chapter 16: Learning to Get Out of My Own Way 103
Chapter 17: Nobody Talks About the Loneliness 109
Chapter 18: How Resentment and the Who Has It Harder Game Nearly Killed My
Marriage, and the Daily Phone Call That Probably Saved It 119
Chapter 19: Lessons for My Kids (and for Myself) as We All Grow Up 127
Chapter 20: The Death of Martyrdom 135
Chapter 21: Everything Is Fine, I Dont Care What Other People Think,
and Other Lies We Tell 141
Chapter 22: How I Lost Myself but Found the Pieces and Put Myself Back
Together 151
Chapter 23: How Did I Get Here? (The Story of Our Gladiator Turtles,
Medically Fragile Dog, and One Dead Plant) 159
Chapter 24: The Many Forms of Motherhood Grief 165
Chapter 25: Always Awkward, Never Cool 171
Chapter 26: Halfway There (and Livin on a Prayer) 177
Chapter 27: Make Me a Promise 185
Chapter 28: Im a Total Fraud (by the Way) 193
Chapter 29: We Can Do Hard Things (and Let Me Tell You How I Know) 197
Chapter 30: So, What AM I Going to Be When They Grow Up? 203
Epilogue 207
Acknowledgments 209
About the Author 211
Karen Johnson is known on social media as The 21st Century SAHM. A former high school English teacher, she began telling her stories of motherhood when she was elbow-deep in the trenches of toddlerhood. She now writes for some of the largest parenting websites in the world.
