There Are Mums Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent

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Glenn Boozan: Well, when you turn 12, a wizard sends you a letter in the mail and says, you’re a comedy writer, Harry, and then you go to comedy school. No, it’s a much more boring process than that. I still don’t really know how to become a comedy writer. Bianca Schulze: So, I was just curious, like, I mean, I’m assuming maybe, you know, these people in person and like, how does all this great praise for your book make you feel? I love this book! It sounds like a song whenread out loud,and it's so funny and sweet thatI almost want to have another baby. Almost.”– Laurie Kilmartin, author of Sh*tty Mom Bianca Schulze: So, I want to know, since comedy is what you do, what did the writing process look for this specific book once you decided you wanted to make it a book? And it does feature a lot of animals. And the cruel and dark things they do with their baby animals. So, like, how did you decide even which animals to feature?

And I really found my voice at UCB in New York, the sketch and improv—I don’t know if it’s defuncted now, but I think it just got sold. But that’s where I realized what I really wanted to do. And I was doing a lot of sketch and improv there and then just applied for jobs and wrote and wrote and wrote. And that’s the end of the story. Glenn Boozan: Thank you. It feels really great. I hate asking people for favors and I don’t like asking people to do things. And so, I was like, all right, this is the one favor I’ll ask. I know them because I’ve worked for and with all these people and they’re some of the funniest people I know. And so, I was quite honored that they said yes and lent their words to my book. But take heart, even on the days when you fear you’re screwing up your kids and condemning them to a lifetime of therapy, you’re still not the worst mom in the world (no matter what your tween is telling you). Boozan is a comedy writer who just won a 2022 Writers Guild Award for her work on Conan — and who has also written for shows like Lights Out With David Spade and Sarah Silverman’s I Love You, America. Glenn Boozan: That is a good question. I have sort of this phrase. I mean, I’m not always good at it. Let me start by saying that. But I have this phrase that I have started saying to myself that I find very helpful whenever I’m feeling very self- judgy. I sit down, take a breath, and say, who is this thought serving? Like, who? Who benefits from me thinking this bad thing about myself? And most of the time, when I try to find an answer, it’s no one.Here’s a question that I ask everyone, and I’m fascinated to hear your take on it as a comedy writer and not specifically as a children’s book writer. So, I always ask, to be a writer, they say you need to be a reader first. So, was there a pivotal moment when you considered yourself a reader? Boozan isn’t a mom herself, but she believes that her outsider point of view is the central reason that she was able to write such a heartfelt and praiseworthy books about parents. Glenn Boozan: Oh, okay. So, imagine the most stereotypical nerd with bad posture sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time, just hating everything they’re writing. That’s exactly it. Whatever you’re picturing, that’s what my day-to-day looks like.

There’s an appendix where the animal behaviors used in the the text are explained a bit more fully.Glenn Boozan’s hopes for There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent. Before we get into the why or the what or the who inspired you to write this book, I want to talk a little about the fact that you are a comedy writer. Will you tell us how somebody becomes a comedy writer and what that looks like on a day-to-day basis? A hilarious and reassuring gift for every because we’re all doing the best we can, and the natural world is filled with moms worse than you! Glenn Boozan: Oh my, gosh. That is the best. That is the best review of the book I’ve ever heard. That’s great. I might steal it. Hachette Book Group is a leading book publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest publisher in the world. Social Media

Bianca Schulze: I love it. I love it, too. I think every parent has maybe not done that but has at some point felt that way. Bianca Schulze: You don’t ever hear about quokkas. And so, I loved that. And, if anybody was to write about a Quokka, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t highlight what you highlighted—is that the moms tossed their kids to the prey as a decoy to keep themselves safe from predators. Yes, I did not know that again. So here I am, excited. Oh, look. It’s the cute quokka. And then no. Sorry. Quokkas.Bianca Schulze: I am not a comedy writer and I’m not very good with timing. In fact, the only time I make my family laugh is in moments like watching the movie Inside Out, where the imaginary character Bing Bong disappears. And I start hyperventilating, sobbing, and crying. My family finds that funny. So, you have this great book, and it is for parents. It’s mostly for moms, but it’s actually for dads, too. Like, where did the inspiration come from? A hilarious and reassuring gift for every mom: because we’re all doing the best we can, and the natural world is filled with moms worse than you!

Glenn Boozan: Most surprised me. That’s a good one. I will say, and I don’t know, I’m not going to use bad language, but this is gross what I’m about to say. But it’s in the book. So, a koala mom—like when you picture koalas, they’re so cute and fuzzy and you’re like, oh my gosh. And they eat little eucalyptus leaves. But I guess like the baby koalas can’t eat eucalyptus yet when they’re very young. And so, the first solid meal that a koala mom feeds her babies is her own poop, unfortunately. And I wish there was a more delicate way to say that, but it’s just disgusting. It was height of the pandemic and my sister was taking care of a toddler while pregnant,” Boozan tells Scary Mommy. “She was feeling like a bad mother. She said, I wonder if I'm socializing Maddie enough? I'm not doing a good job. And I was flabbergasted that she would feel that way — because her daughter's favorite activity is reading and her favorite food is radishes. I think my sister is an incredible mother. The fact that she was feeling this self-doubt was stunning to me.” For the latest episodes from The Growing Readers Podcast, Follow Now on your favorite podcast platform. But so, I’m going to try my best here at a little joke pulled from your book. But I wanted to say that it is no wonder that your book is selling as fast as a quokka tosses its baby when it’s face to face with a dingo. It’s so fun.

I would say the pivotal moment was when I was younger, learning how to read for the first time. I learned how to enjoy books. So, I would call myself a lover of stories and of writing and of words—and I think that my dad and my mom very much instilled this in me growing up. So that was the moment I think I became obsessed with words. Is being raised by my parents. A picture book for adults. The art was okay, there could have been more of it. Some of the animal facts were presented with misleading context to justify the title, some of them were presented more accurately. Bianca Schulze: I love it. Well, thank you so, so much. And keep making us laugh. And keep making us smile. Thank you.