Are you one of those perfect mothers or are you a real mother? Perfect mothers always smile, always have immaculate homes, never raise their voices..... Real mothers wear stained sweaters, never have the time to finish anything, sigh with exhaustion.... The problem is that perfect mothers are the stuff of fairy tales. All the others, or almost all of them, fret and feel guilty. Here is a little book full of anecdotes and effective tips on how to be a good mother without overly complicating your life. In short, how to be an imperfect mother, but a happy one.

Libby Purves is a journalist at the BBC and the mother of two children.