A small consolation for 21st century parents: Mothers and fathers have had to face a load of challenges since forever. This tongue-in-cheek book charmingly traces what it was like to be a parent in past eras. Living up to the expectations of being a "good parent" has never been easy. Advice on conception and pregnancy was supposed to help create ideal circumstances before the child was even born. Infant care and child-rearing strategies have changed like seasons in the course of history. What is timeless, however, is parents' love for their offspring. Our ancestors already knew: Puberty is a critical phase and more than one ambitious father's plan was thwarted by teenage rebellion. What's the moral of the story? Most parents pulled through and humankind did not go extinct. So moms and dads, stay calm and carry on!

Being a woman is not a sport, much less an Olympic discipline, but it makes you sweat just as much. Constantly juggling household chores and relationships, mastering married life and raising kids can make women run out of the breath they need for laughing. Because no problem that you face when handling the daily hustle and bustle of family life is so serious that it couldn’t be solved with a bit of humor. Christine Nöstlinger proves this in her own exceptional style, full of wit and composure, with a lovingly ironic view on life and the big and little challenges it holds. This book is a collection of her best columns offering advice and comfort for every life situation.

Every couple has its special story: Iny and Elmar Lorentz write bestsellers together (“Die Wanderhure”) and go on reading tours in their caravan, while extreme mountain climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and her husband Ralf Dujmovits enjoy the thrill of danger. Christl and Rupert Neudeck (“Cap Anamur”) are both living the dream of a better world, while author Peter Turrini and his wife Silvia Hassler have decided to live in separate houses in two different villages. Others are separated or connected by large differences in age or different religions. One couple got married twice, another found happiness after gender reassignment. Eva Maria and Wolfram Zurhorst, the authors of ”Liebe dich selbst und es ist egal wen du heiratest”, recount borderline experiences they’ve had to face in their relationship. Twenty special couples contemplate what makes them stick together and what really counts. They are captured in wonderful photographs taken by Petra Rainer.