All parents of young children have a secret, something they find amusing that other adults consider disgusting. Accidentally swallowing the cup of water your daughter used to brush her teeth, pointing out road kill to stop the kids from fighting in the car, letting the neighbor boy — who can’t find a Kleenex — blow his nose on your skirt.
I’m Counting to 10 . . . , by parents Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner, chronicles the lives of a slightly offbeat couple and their two young kids with 45 humorous anecdotes. Not for the faint of heart, or for those in pre-parent years (they may choose not to have children after reading this book). Parents in the trenches, however, driving minivans filled with Happy Meal containers, discarded clothing and melted crayons, will find inspiration and understanding in I’m Counting to 10 . . .
To show their firsthand understanding of the subject, Beecham and Hillgartner confess their own parenting shortcomings (“There are times when I’ve served the kids cereal in bowls that I’m not quite sure have been cleaned or just licked clean by the dogs.”) and share their reassuring discoveries (“At first we worried everything would kill him. Then we realized almost nothing could.”).