Confessions of Someone Flailing at Life & Parenthood
Liz Krakow never planned to publish a book. What started as late-night “therapy writing” at three in the morning slowly became 200 pages of honest, funny, and deeply human reflections on motherhood, imperfection, faith, and letting go of expectations. In this intimate documentary, Liz shares how writing helped her process the chaos of parenting, including a moment when her toddler ran off at the market and introduced himself to police as “Batman.” Through humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, she reflects on embracing mistakes, lowering expectations, and finding joy in the messy, unpredictable seasons of life. From pushing back against editorial changes to protect her authentic voice, to speaking openly about miracles and motherhood, Liz reminds us that we connect more through our screw-ups than our successes. This film captures a writer who never intended to become one, and a mother who learned that happiness isn’t about perfection. It’s about embracing what is. The footage of shopping was for the Marin City Comfort and Joy Event for Children last Christmas, which is the brainchild of the film maker's mother, Yaker Kawoh - also shown in the movie.
The film was created by Woodside Motion Co
Krakow reflects on the ups and downs of motherhood in this debut memoir. “Becoming a wife and mother, however unnatural it was for me,” writes the author, “was ultimately the best medicine and such a sure-fire recipe for learning those all-important lessons in love.” In this humorous, occasionally poignant reflection on raising kids (and a husband who is a child at heart), Krakow provides sidesplitting commentary on her experiences as a wife and mother. The author compares having children to a hurricane that upended her world with “a swirl of such intensity it could only be appreciated from the hurricane’s eye” of momentary peace. The text is full of witty one-liners, including quips about “motherhood-induced Alzheimer’s” and its often-debilitating effect on mental acuity. Even the stereotypical American family camping trip, in Krakow’s telling, becomes a humorous story of plans gone awry, dead car batteries, and overactive imaginations regarding noises in the night. (The lesson the author provides for would-be campers who decide to go on an outdoor excursion: “Too much nature and fresh air can be absolutely toxic.”) Krakow also chronicles her meandering path toward motherhood, from learning about sex from Cosmopolitan magazines in the late 1970s as a teenager to her later “exhausting pattern of being attracted to emotionally unavailable men.” These men included, at least initially, her future husband, who “didn’t get the memo on the great romantic plans [she] had in store for him.” Krakow discusses her own mom, who died of a heart attack at age 48 while moving her youngest son into his college dorm. Motherhood, the author observes with her characteristic mordant wit, “not only wreaks havoc on your brain, but it can also be deadly.” While the book certainly celebrates the joys of motherhood, what truly stands out are the honest takes on raising children from someone who admits that the role “was not natural.” The author’s engaging, conversational writing style offers an honest, down-to-earth approach to motherhood that will resonate with the millions of caregivers who struggle to live up to impossible social expectations.
Elizabeth Krakow. Mascot, $17.95 trade paper (216p) ISBN 979-8-90026-005-1
“The survival of humanity depends on us going into parenthood with our eyes wide shut,” writes Krakow in her tender and funny debut memoir. Once on the fence about getting married and having kids, Krakow eventually did both, and soon found herself knee-deep in a period of life marked by joy and exhaustion. She shares anecdotes about her and her husband’s initial ineptitude—their son, who had a tendency to roam, was picked up by the police twice by the time he was three—as well as other domestic misadventures, like the time she tried to pack up the family to leave an anxiety-ridden camping trip, only to find their car battery had died (“For some of us, too much nature and fresh air can be absolutely toxic”). Reflecting on tough times, especially the loss of her mother, Krakow leans heavily on her faith, remarking that, “if I can just keep showing up, daring God to show me the beauty in the wreckage, he is faithful to do so.” With humor and compassion, Krakow demonstrates the messy yet rewarding nature of family. This will resonate with those who embrace life despite its imperfections. (July)