Lessons from a Default Parent: Surviving the Front Line of Family Life (Without Losing Your Sh*t)

Hardback Published on: 12/02/2026
Price: £18.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Lessons from a Default Parent
I hear you!!
For all those default parents out there, you’re not alone! I really related to all aspects of this book, the mental & physical load of being on the front l... READ MORE
Catherine stephenson

Synopsis

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.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241762912
  • Number of pages: 240
  • Dimensions: 224 x 145 x 25 mm
  • Weight: 342g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Lessons from a Default Parent
Not just for parents
What an absolutely beautiful book. Lou has found away to present the "irrational argument" that so many defaults try to present when overtired and over sti... READ MORE
Bryony Ledger
Lessons from a Default Parent
so true and honest
What a fantastic book. So true and honest. Should be issued with every positive pregnancy test. It does not gloss over the life alternating event of becomi... READ MORE
Helen Wilkinson
Lessons from a Default Parent
Funny and relatable
Lou Beckett takes us through parenting in those early days. How the default parent takes on so many roles and deals with whatever is thrown at them. Lots o... READ MORE
Kerry Henderson
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Lessons from a Default Parent
If you are a parent, read this!
'Lessons from a Default Parent' explores the emotional, mental and practical load carried by the parent who becomes the family's default carer. Lou Becket... READ MORE
Stephanie Bull
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.