Skip to Main Content

You Can't F*ck Up Your Kids

A Judgment-Free Guide to Stress-Free Parenting

LIST PRICE $16.99

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER

Buy from Other Retailers

About The Book

Cribsheet meets The Sh!t No One Tells You in this no-holds-barred, judgment-free parenting guide that sets the record straight on every hot-button parenting topic by longtime journalist and founder of the viral #NoShameParenting movement.

What if you could do more for your kids, by doing a whole lot less?

Parenting today has become a competitive sport, and it seems that everyone is losing. From the very moment that little line turns blue, parents-to-be find themselves in a brave new world where every decision they make is fraught, every action they take is judged, and everything they do seems to be the wrong thing.

Formula feed? Breast is best.
Breastfeed in public? That’s indecent.
Cry it out? You’re causing permanent harm to your child.
Don’t sleep train? Your child will never learn to sleep on his or her own.
Stay home? You’re setting a bad example for your kids.
Go back to work? Don’t you love your kids more than your job?

Lindsay Powers—former editor-in-chief of Yahoo! Parenting, creator of the #NoShameParenting movement, and mom of two—is here to help parents everywhere breathe a collective sigh of relief. This laugh-out-loud funny, accessible, and reassuring book sets the record straight on all of the insane conflicts that parents face—from having a glass of wine while pregnant to sleep training, childcare, feeding, and even sex after baby.

Drawing on the latest research and delivered in a relatable, comforting voice, You Can’t F*ck Up Your Kids demonstrates that it is possible to take the stress out of parenting and sit back and enjoy the ride.

About The Author

© Marc Goldberg Photography

Lindsay Powers is a longtime journalist whose work has appeared in The New York TimesThe Washington PostNew York magazine, Us WeeklyThe Hollywood ReporterCosmopolitan, CBS MorningsGood Morning AmericaToday, CNN, and many other nationwide outlets. She was the founding editor-in-chief of Yahoo! Parenting and the lifestyle editorial director there. Lindsay, who created the viral #NoShameParenting movement, lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two young sons.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (March 31, 2020)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781982110130

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

“Whether it happened today or ten years ago, you can still remember the judgy jerk who told you that you were doing something horribly wrong as a parent. Guess what? You weren't. And finally, we've got proof: THIS WONDERFUL BOOK!”

– Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement

“A timely and reassuring look at contemporary parenting. Lindsay Powers explains how weak science and dubious ideology have been used to steal the joy from parenting and replace it with self-doubt. Are you a good parent who feels bad? You need this book!”

– Amy Tuteur, MD, Harvard-trained OB/GYN and author of Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting

“Lindsay Powers is the wise best friend (who also interviewed hundreds of doctors and dozens of parents, while also combing through mountains of research papers) that all new parents dream about. Warm, compassionate, and open-minded, Powers examines the trials of modern parenting—from the belief that C-sections are the easy way out to the misconception that sleep training will make your baby a psychopath—and offers up something we sleep-deprived parents rarely receive: relief. This new bible of anxiety-free child-rearing is a friendly call to arms to stop the judgement and, even more powerfully, to stop the self-flagellation. I am so grateful that this wonderful book exists.”

– Susannah Cahalan, New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire

"A well-researched, common-sense compendium on child-rearing.”

– Kirkus

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images