Lessons from a Default Parent

More demanding than ‘hell’, this is parenting purgatory for authentic women who’ve put their lives on hold to be mummy. * Katherine Ryan *Funny, articulate, reflective and honest: it’s like sitting down with your bestie for a proper mumlife debrief. It’s a non-judgemental hand in the dark, an acknowledgement of what it is to be the default parent and a reminder that we’re all just trying to do our best. * Giovanna Fletcher *I love it. Why has no one written this book before? We bloody need this book. * Fearne Cotton *A fun and funny polemic on something deadly serious. * Sara Pascoe *Lou writes with such candour and honesty about mum’ing and life; she’s made me laugh and cry at the same time, what I call ‘craffing’. Read this book immediately. * Zoe Ball *Being the default parent is a joyous privilege and the heaviest burden. Lou just gets it. This book will resonate with so many parents who have the family they always wanted but sometimes feel they’ve had to sacrifice their sense of self worth to get it. A brilliant, comforting, funny read for any default parent who, after a day of fish fingers and swimming lesson has whispered to themselves “I just want to feel important again…”. * Ellie Taylor *Who knew? Maybe I’m the default parent. This book is hilarious and full of common sense. * Jo Brand *Lou is certainly an expert on all things parenting; not only has she raised two wonderful children she has also put up with her husband Rob, who has been teething for 38 years. * Michael McIntyre *This book needed to exist; it is a witty and wise snapshot of how parenting works in the 21st century. Lou writes like she parents, with humour, empathy, joy and a skill most of us can only dream of. * Josh Widdicombe *Lou is a proper mum who totally gets it! This book is laugh-out-loud funny and keeps it real about just how bonkers and hard parenting can be. Honestly you’ll be nodding, crying and cackling all at the same time. I loved it. * Alison Hammond *

Lou Beckett is a mother of two, ex-secondary school teacher, and wife to Rob Beckett. The (mostly) silent participant of the incredibly successful Parenting Hell podcast (spoken about, not to, except for the occasional ‘right to reply’ episodes), she can speak about the similarly ‘silent’ issues- default parenting, emotional labour, and managing the mental load of parenthood. Her popular blog post, A Very Long Whinge, prompted many ‘me too’ moments from parents.