Instant Mom, a review of the funniest thing you’ll ever read about adoption. Nia Vardalos’ hilarious and brutally honest memoir of her path to becoming a parent.
If you’re an adoptive parent, actually if you have ever parented a small messy human being, you have to read Instant Mom, Nia Vardalos’ poignant and funny memoir of becoming an “Instant Mom” through adoption. I devoured this book in one sitting and nearly spit out my Chardonnay several times I was LOL’ing so hard. She nails the crazy rollercoaster that is parenting via adoption with wit and beautifully brutal honesty.
You probably know Nia Vardalos from her hilarious hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding“, and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2”. (Who can ever look at Windex the same way after that movie. I wonder if it really does cure zits…but anyhoo!)
Instant Mom is an intimate tale of Nia and her husband Ian’s journey to become parents when they adopt their daughter through the U.S. foster care system. Anyone who’s been through adoption or infertility will recognize the path. From failed invitros, accupuncture, surrogates, and unproven nutritional therapies to home study interviews and home social worker visits. Nia bares it all. (She even shares she was on her way to yet another infertility treatment when she found out she’d be nominated for an Academy Award.)
I loved her honest take on adoption and parenting. Yes, Nia shares the lovely, postcard moments of adoption. But she has the guts to take on the parts of adoption that so many people don’t discuss, lest it scares others away from adoption. The anger, the pain. The sometimes difficult adjustments and bonding. (Which happens in adoption but let’s be real here, parenting is hard work no matter how you get there.)
I’m so thankful that she normalizes and shares those less-than-perfect parts of adoption. Here’s my own take on some things that kinda suck about adoption. (I related to so much of this book. So many strange, odd and weird things that you do in adoption. I mean, I now know I’m not the only parent who spent too many nights sleeping on an air mattress on the floor. Read the book. You’ll understand.)
- If you’re considering adoption, read this book and you will want to adopt even more.
- If you’re already an adoptive parent, you will SO relate.
- And if you don’t know what to get as a gift for an adoptive family, they’ll think you are the coolest, most informed friend ever.
- Or if you just like a funny, well written book that makes you want to read it over again several times to make sure you didn’t miss a joke. Get this book.
Nia is now an adoption advocate and donates a portion of her book sales to adoption charities.
Here’s a link to purchase Instant Mom. And here’s a link to Nia Vardolos Instant Mom on Facebook.
I don’t have kids but I love reading books like this. I guess I live vicariously as I was going to adopt as a single mom and didn’t.
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Nia is so funny, whether on screen or on paper. Sounds like a good, at times painful, take on adoption.
Laurie recently posted…Are Small Tortures Really The Spice of Life?
Sounds like a great book – I love real stories told with humour!
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