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Child, Please
by Ylonda Gault Caviness
c.2015, Tarcher / Penguin
$25.95 / higher in Canada
320 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
It was enough to make any kid fearful for his life.
It was That Look your Mama gave you – the one you got when
you were acting up, the one that made you want to join the
Witness Protection Program. That Look could freeze a kid on
the spot forever like a statue and, though it was deadly, it
rarely came with sound – except, says Ylonda Gault
Caviness, a heavy sigh and Child, Please.
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Growing up, there were many things you learned by
observation – one of them being a sharp knowledge of when
you were approaching your mother’s last nerve. Like most
kids, Ylonda Gault Caviness tried to avoid that mess;
instead, she craved her Mama’s approval, though it wasn’t
earned easily. And that was the way things just were.
Until Caviness had her first child.
Chloe was born on a hot August day, and Mama was enormously
pleased, though she’d never admit it. In the first days, she
was helpful and indulgent with the new baby but, never one
to filter what she said, she was constantly critical and
eagerly pounced on that which she perceived was wrong. That
grated on Caviness. Still, mere weeks into new-Mommyhood,
Caviness was shocked when Mama announced that she was going
home. Caviness felt abandoned.
There were grounds for that, Caviness reasoned. Mama had
never had much of a mother herself: when she was just four
years old, her mother died and her father quickly gave her a
stepmother who was almost straight out of a bad fairy tale.
Consequently, Mama didn’t put her own children in the center
of her life. She gave them the love they needed, but not
that which they wanted.
Some months later, Caviness had her second daughter,
Trinity, an easy baby who made motherhood particularly good
for Caviness and made Mama quite amused at the way children
are raised today. Bemusement, however, didn’t change her
forwardness: to Caviness’ chagrin, Mama remained
frustrating. By the time baby Cole came along five years
after Trinity, everything – the help-no-help, the unwanted
advice, and Caviness’ exhaustion– had all come to a crash.
So you say there are times when you consider asking your
mother for a DNA test? And though you love your kids, you
might include them, too? Before you grab the swabs, read
Child, Please.
The first thing you need to know is that author Ylonda Gault
Caviness is funny. I mean, LOL funny, in a way that
will make you feel like she’s been your friend since junior
high. You can practically picture the conversations you’d
have with her. But this book isn’t all comedy: Caviness
dispenses advice and sass, yes, but she also displays a
sweet amount of gratitude, understanding, and the kind of
love only shared between mothers and the daughters they
drive crazy.
I think this is a perfect book for everyone who’s ever had a
Mom or been one. It’s also great for any Mother-to-Be. If
you love laugh-out-loud, cry-a-little memoirs, then
Child, Please is worth a Look. |
