Overall Content Rating: Parents Strongly Cautioned PG-13
This book is a collection of funny, confessional essays about adult family life, careers, friendship, parenting, and Southern upbringing. Parents should expect regular mild to moderate swearing and occasional stronger words, frank but usually brief talk about bodies and marriage, and earthy humor about pets, travel, and embarrassing moments. Content fits older teens and adults more than young children: there are drinking stories, pregnancy and childbirth anecdotes, a mentioned serious national tragedy, and light teasing language. Objectionable terms are not the focus; the overall tone is conversational memoir aimed at making readers laugh at ordinary chaos rather than shock them.
Reviews first uploaded September 30, 2026 12:08 am. Revised October 8, 2026 9:16 am. Page updated October 8, 2026 9:16 am.
These summaries are AI-generated from relevant Amazon reviews of this book.
Crude Mild
12Characters and the narrator sometimes use blunt insults or call choices foolish, especially around drinking, travel, and social embarrassment. Much of the blunt language is idiomatic rather than targeted cruelty.
Amazon reviews mentioning crude
Specific words
- stupid: 8
- idiot: 2
- suck: 2
LGBTQ+ Mild
1A single brief joke references a lesbian identity as part of a friend's comic persona. It is not a sustained plot thread.
Amazon reviews mentioning lgbtq
Specific words
- lesbian: 1
Profanity Moderate
52The narrator uses mild and occasional stronger swearing throughout this humorous memoir in everyday and stressed moments. Expletives show up in family stories, travel mishaps, work events, and self-deprecating asides rather than constant aggression.
Amazon reviews mentioning profanity
Specific words
- hell: 24
- damn: 14
- ass: 5
- bitch: 5
- shit: 3
- bullshit: 1
Sex Moderate
3Body and intimacy topics appear in adult life stories, including puberty references, joking comparisons about anatomy, and episodes such as time in a hot tub without clothes and playful marital moments. Tone is comic memoir rather than prolonged explicit description.
Specific words
- boob: 2
- penis: 1
Violence Mild
8Sampled matches include a childhood accident with bleeding described in vivid but non-graphic terms, mischief like tipping trash cans, and a serious real-world tragedy referenced in customer notes. There is no focus on fighting or weapon violence.
Amazon reviews mentioning violence
Specific words
- blood: 3
- bleed: 2
- stab: 2
- kick: 1
About this book
Have you ever wondered if the life of the woman standing next to you in the checkout line is as weird as yours? Could it be possible you’re trapped in a bizarre reality show, where the object of the game is to get the crazy lady to flip out just one more time? If so, this book confirms you are in good company. I Was In Love With a Short Man Once is a collection of stories written from the perspective of a crazy Southern Irish gal. Follow her as she reflects on growing up as a child of limited means in South Florida; managing a self-financed college education; balancing work as a federal official with the demands of single motherhood; and navigating the amusing challenges of being a second-time-around wife. • Coming Up Stories reflect the distinctive surroundings of South Florida through stories such as “Flagpole.” • Jimmy Stories illustrate the bond between mother and son. Stories here include “Kool-aid Mom” and “Zamboni” and reveal the life lessons that our children teach us. • The Rest of the Stories round out the author’s quirky observations, including “Naked in a Hot Tub in Vegas” and “Crazy Virgo Tendencies.” "Dalferes is a fresh voice in the realm of funny women who write about their own experiences…With chapter titles like ‘The Patron Saint of Parking,’ ‘My Water Broke Because I was Married To a Prick,’ and ‘Kool-Aid Mom,’ everyone will find something to like." ~ Betsy Ashton, Author, Mad Max, Unintended Consequences "This is one funny lady with a very fine talent whose bound to climb onto the platform with Erma Bombeck, Fannie Flagg, Nora Ephron et al. Catch her while she is wet!" ~ 5 *’s from Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame Reviewer "So what's the deal with the title you ask? I won't spoil it for you, all will be revealed, you will just have to clear your schedule, turn the Blackberry off and buckle up for an extraordinary heartwarmingly funny ride." ~Rachel Abbott for the Kindle Book Review "The author’s candid observations, unforgiving attention to details, and lively pace made it too compelling to be qualified as anything less than a page-turner. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the humility and optimism that permeates her writing and, oh, the wit… that dry, self-deprecating funny-as-hell southern wit!" ~Megan’s Blog and Book Reviews Read more
