After reading this book, it has become perfectly clear to me...I am secretly a man. (And up until this point I thought that I was a straight 30-something woman!) Maybe it's because I have five brothers and no sisters. That probably has a lot to do with it. But Wiseman's explanations of what moms are thinking when they say certain things to other parents - well, I know I'M not thinking that, but now that I know at least some others are - I tend to take a lot of things at face value that apparently are code for something else. Reading this book is like having someone tell you that everyone is speaking a secret language when you thought they were speaking English, and here's the last few pages of a Fodor's guidebook translation sheet to get you by.

On the other hand, the dad statements and thoughts in the book, while I didn't always agree with them, at least almost always made sense on their own terms. I could see how dads would arrive at their conclusions. This book made me feel inadequate as a mom, without really offering a solution. I just didn't connect with the author at all. Maybe school events really are secretly charged landmines, where everything you say means something else, and everything you or your child does is scrutinized. I have a sneaking suspicion that this isn't COMPLETELY inaccurate. But what Wiseman offers is more a guidebook view of the situation than a solution. ( )

I started this book at the wrong time of year - I was burnt out on kids and parents. I want to read this again in the fall, since I will be helpful to me as a parent, teacher, and future foster parent.

Interesting and enjoyable descriptions of the "types" of moms and dads out there. However, I think Ms. Wiseman's descriptions would probably only fit very wealthy suburbs. Also, I could never imagine myself using any of her "mock conversations" to solve a problem. ( )