Lessons from a Default Parent

Lou Beckett

ISBN 10: 024176291X / ISBN 13: 9780241762912

Published by Dorling Kindersley Ltd, GB, 2026

About this Item

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Funny, reflective and honest. Reading this book is like sitting down with your bestie for a proper mumlife debrief' - Giovanna Fletcher'More demanding than 'hell', this is parenting purgatory for authentic women who've put their lives on hold to be mummy' - Katherine Ryan'A brilliant, comforting and funny read for any default parent' - Ellie Taylor___What nobody tells you about parenthood, from one of the 'silent partners' behind the Parenting Hell podcast.School-run coordinator, party planner, clubs organiser, laundry sorter. and maybe even a 'real' job on top! Sound exhaustingly familiar? From assumptions surrounding who is going to stay at home with the kids to the never-ending list of school admin, being 'the default parent' rears its head in a plethora of ways.This book is for all the defaults out there - bored out of their eyeballs or so overwhelmed they could scream expletives into the wind for a solid hour - to know their invisible labour is seen and valued.With heartfelt and hilarious advice, Lou Beckett provides much-needed comfort and community for the one who is depended on the most (and often feels appreciated the least), and maybe - just maybe - how we can begin to rebalance the parenting scales and muddle through a little better, together.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780241762912

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lessons from a Default Parent
• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Ltd, GB
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 024176291X
• ISBN 13: 9780241762912
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 342 grams

About this title

Synopsis

From assumptions surrounding who is staying home with the kids to the never-ending list of ‘school’ admin, being ‘the default parent’ rears its head in a plethora of ways.

So this book is for all the defaults out there – bored out of their eyeballs or so overwhelmed they could scream expletives into the wind for a solid hour – to know their invisible labor is seen, valued and can even sometimes be rebalanced.

With heartfelt and hilarious advice, Lou Beckett provides much-needed comfort and community for the one who is depended on the most (and often feels appreciated the least), and maybe – just maybe – how we can begin to muddle through a little better, together.

About the Author

Lou Beckett is a mother of two, ex-secondary school teacher and wife to Rob Beckett. The (mostly) silent participant of the incredibly successful Parenting Hell podcast (spoken about not to except for the occasional “right to reply” episodes), she can speak about the similarly ‘silent’ issues: default parenting, emotional labour and managing the mental load of parenthood. Her popular and well-read blog post 'A very long whinge' prompted many ‘me too’ moments from fellow parents and gained 56,000 views almost overnight and 116,600 impressions on Instagram.