What is Mom Saying?

Jake Miller’s new book is devoted to a species that was never described before. His pocket-size “encyclopedia,” “Decoding Mom,” which is written mostly for teenagers, suggests using experimental methods when dealing with happy or angry mother and can be used by people of all ages interested in the subject.

Indeed, if we have strategies for a successful trip, make career plans or are used to breaking up our day into small chores, why not try to apply some of our thinking forward abilities to relationships with our relatives? Concentrating on mothers, Miller’s book is nevertheless applicable to exploring any close person whom we do not fully understand.

The good thing is: unlike many scientific instructions, “Decoding Mom” is an easy read. It’s short, sweet and entertaining.

To become familiar with an unknown species, one has to start with classification. Miller saved us time and effort: he distinguished main types of moms a teenager can come across. Pointing out advantages and shortcomings of each type, he warns us that Food Mom, Photographic Memory Mom and You’re-Gonna-Be-a-Star Mom can sometimes hide inside one woman.

Having finished with dividing a subject into groups, one needs to proceed to experiments. The book teaches the reader basic “mom-watching” skills, which allow one to identify in what mood a mom is at a certain moment and what to do to stay out of danger.

At the same time, this mom-studying manual reveals why moms do things we consider weird. Having their own protective instincts, the representatives of this particular species are ready for anything if they believe that they or their babies are threatened. Understanding this, a thoughtful mom-watcher should be able to assure a mom that extreme measures are not necessary if it is truly so.

As every scientific instruction, Miller’s book is meant to improve the readers’ knowledge on the subject, reduce their stress upon an encounter with one of the species and maintain peaceful co-existence on the same territory. More specifically, the author give to his readers a piece of advice on how to decrease a generation gap, what to do “when moms dare to dance” and how to avoid wearing childish clothes she is still buying you, now a grown up person, without hurting her motherly feelings.

In addition to its usefulness, you will find the book’s size enticing as well. With its 80 tiny pages and large font, this mom-exploring manual will not be a burden even for those who fall asleep over a reading. A good idea is to carry the book with you in case if a mom is “cleaning” (most likely, snooping around) your room and finds it.

But even if she does come across it, don’t worry: the book will also be useful for moms themselves, keeping in mind that unlike other scientifically studied species, they are taught to read during their early years. Maybe, this reflection on themselves will help them realize that sometimes they are overprotective and too sophisticated in their motherly actions.