The Lunch-Box Chronicles: Notes from the Parenting Underground

By Marion Winik

Book Overview

Child Magazine Best Book of the Year

For me, parenting is like dieting. Every day, I wake up filled with resolve and good intentions, perfection in view, and every day I somehow stray from the path. The difference is with dieting, I usually make it to lunch. . . .

With the candor and often hilarious outlook that have made her a beloved commentator on NPR, Marion Winik takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through modern parenthood, with all of its attendant anxieties and joys.
A single mother with two small boys, Winik knows exactly what she's talking about, from battles over breakfast and bedtime to the virtues of pre-packaged food and weightier issues like sex education and sibling rivalry. Part memoir and part survival guide, The Lunch-Box Chronicles is an engaging philosophy of parenting from a staunch realist, who knows that kids and their parents both will inevitably fall far short of perfection, and that a good enough mom really is, in fact, good enough.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375701702
• ISBN13: 9780375701702
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 7.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Marion Winik opens eyes with this poignant, mirthful tribute to parenting.

This book follows Marion as she leads her sons, Hayes and Vince through the ups and downs of life. Including the death of their father. Parents should take notes on Marion's brave tactics on being upfront and honest with her children on the tougher subjects in life. She shows you the line between protecting your children for their own good and sheltering them from reality. Whether she is teaching her kids to make coffee, navigating her family through her first relationship after the death of her husband, or throwing a birthday party. Marion Winik will make you laugh, make you think and make those crazy days with your kids feel normal. You will know that you are not alone.

If You Know Any Children ...

... whether they're yours or someone's else's, this book is for you. This insightful book tells it like it is -- everything you ever wanted to know about raising children, straight from the heart. If you read this and don't shed a tear, you're missing a big piece of humanity.

Hysterically funny and true to real life.

Marion Winik never ceases to amaze me with her candid and heroically revealing writing. She can evoke so many emotions about diving into that great big pool of love we call 'Family'. As a nanny, I have had so many Mothers ask me, "Am I doing this right"? And, "Do you think I'm a good Mom"? I try to stay neutral and tell them that it doesn't matter what I think, it matters what THEY think. Then I reccomend Marion's book and I always get VERY positive feedback about it. If you're a Mom; past, present or future, this book will make you feel a whole lot better about all that that entails. Your life won't be complete until you read it!