Anne Lamott knows how hard it is to bring up a child, and, thanks to her 1993 memoir, "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year," we all know how hard it is, too.
Lamott's best-selling memoir about the first year in the life of her son, Sam, stood out for its honesty and humor, as well as for her refusal to sentimentalize what can be a very difficult and tedious job.
In one memorable and desperate scene, it occurs to Lamott that she could finally get some sleep if she just left Sam out on the porch for the night. If he survived, she wrote, she'd bring him back inside in the morning.
Exhausted mothers everywhere applauded. (And no, of course she did not actually do this.)
And now, guess what? Sam is all grown up and has a son of his own, and Anne has written a journal about Jax's first year. Her honesty, humor and fears are intact, but one thing that "Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son" makes abundantly clear is this: It's a lot easier to be a grandmother than it was to be a mom.
Lamott will be at Barnes & Noble Galleria on Monday.
Q What's it like being a grandmother?
A It's so much easier to be a grandmother. There's that line in the book from my friend who said when she comes back, she's coming back as a grandmother. Another friend of mine says grandchildren are crack cocaine.