Instant Mom book coverInstant Mom

by Nia Vardalos

Instant Mom, by Canadian actress, Nia Vardalos, from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, is one of those rare, well-written celebrity publications with a real story to tell.

Once upon a time, there was a successful movie actress who was destined to live unhappily ever after with her devoted husband in LA, because infertility is a helpless hopeless nightmare; a black hole of disappointments and despair that no amount of fame or fortune can even begin to compensate for a couple desperate to be parents.

Adoption now on the agenda, a new chapter of their lives begins as they navigate the bureaucratic obstacles and agonise over convincing the social workers that they are well-equipped, both emotionally and financially, to welcome a child into a forever home.

Finally accepted, and with just 14 hours’ notice, they lovingly bring home a small, silent preschooler; a feisty little lady with a huge need to love and be loved.

Nia Vardalos writes with huge frankness and depth as she describes the challenges of infertility, adoption, becoming an instant mother and settling her daughter into her new home. She also provides a very valuable How-to-Adopt appendix plus a list of recommended books and resources. 

I would recommend this book to just about everyone looking for a good read, but particularly to anyone who is suffering from infertility and flirting with the idea of adoption. I was already a mother of two, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Quotes from Instant Mom:

‘Grief is an inevitable part of processing information. You can’t push grief down and pretend it’s not there. It will stay close by like an annoying sibling, tapping you on the shoulder, saying, “Look at me, looooook at me.” Until you do. So I did.’

‘There’s no better way of feeling confidence than the one that comes with having a black tie dress in your closet and a moussaka in your freezer.’

‘I see the moment as a testament to what good things can come your way when you have a best friend who is honest with you. And you listen.’

 

‘She has not spoken one word all day but turns to me with a small wave and quietly says… “Bye Mommy.” No one moves. Everyone heard it.’

 

‘In truth, I’m telling you all these stories to dispel the myth that adopted kids are damaged. There is nothing done that a lot of love can’t undo.’

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