I Don't Know Why She Bothers

A timely, intelligent and important book for fans of LEAN IN and Caitlin Moran: why do modern mothers allow themselves to suffer from so much guilt?

Mothering skills are now scrutinised, measured, judged, discussed and disapproved of like never before. The bar is set so preposterously high, it's impossible, at least in the early years, not to feel like a long lost loser: and honestly, mothers only have themselves to blame... Motherly love is ferocious, intense, fathomless, unconditional and absolute. Daisy will add a dusting of reality to the sickly sweet bake-your-own rubbish by covering topics such as breast pumps, other children, sleepovers, swearing (yours and theirs) and contagious diseases.

It's time to burn the maternity bras and Daisy is the first at the stake to exclaim, 'Enough! Life is short. Mothers adore their children. But they're people too. And that is more than just a mother.'

“It is a hilarious, timely book - and a rare and potent antidote to the guilt, exhaustion and anxiety that threaten to poison every aspect of modern motherhood.”

To read this book as a new mother is to know the pure joy of someone speaking for - and up for - you at a time when you have not the resources to do so yourself ... fantastically energetic, heartfelt and witty identification of all the absurdities created by maternal guilt ... a hilarious, timely book - SUNDAY TIMES

The provocative I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE BOTHERS by Daisy Waugh is one for women who feel life is too short to make their own fish fingers! - GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Waugh's book is not so much a call for bad mothering to return as a return to a more laissez-faire parenting, liberated from all the fear and guilt women impose on themselves ... Waugh is refreshingly frank, swears like a sailor and debunks the sanctification of motherhood with relish... This is probably one of the funniest parenting guides you'll find - OBSERVER

Daisy Waugh writes 'Waugh Zone', a weekly column about her family life, at the front of the SUNDAY TIMES magazine. She has been writing for newspapers and magazines for many years - as an agony aunt, restaurant critic, interviewer, property 'expert', and travel writer. She has published seven novels and has also written a travelogue about living in Africa. She lives in London with her husband and children.

Follow Daisy Waugh on Twitter at

A timely, intelligent and important book for fans of LEAN IN and Caitlin Moran: why do modern mothers allow themselves to suffer from so much guilt? Mothering skills are now scrutinised, measured, judged, discussed and disapproved of like never before. The bar is set so preposterously high, it's impossible, at least in the early years, not to feel like a long lost loser: and honestly, mothers only have themselves to blame... Motherly love is ferocious, intense, fathomless, unconditional and absolute. Daisy will add a dusting of reality to the sickly sweet bake-your-own rubbish by covering topics such as breast pumps, other children, sleepovers, swearing (yours and theirs) and contagious diseases.It's time to burn the maternity bras and Daisy is the first at the stake to exclaim, 'Enough! Life is short. Mothers adore their children. But they're people too. And that is more than just a mother.'

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.