Nostalgia for the Early Days of Parenting

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Older parents are constantly telling those in the early days to cherish it: It goes by in a flash. But that can be very hard advice to follow when you’re in the thick of it, as Stephanie H. Murray wrote in 2022. Ultimately, all a parent can do is “keep an eye out for the precious moments amid the tumult and chaos,” one mother Murray spoke with told her. “Do what you can to imprint them in your memory—write them down, or share them with friends. Collect them like gems, so that when your arms are finally free and your eyes are a little clearer, you can turn them over in your hand.” Today’s reading list explores both the gems and the challenges of parenting.

On Parenthood

Why We Long for the Most Difficult Days of Parenthood

By Stephanie H. Murray

Older parents are always telling parents of young children to cherish every second; it will be gone in a flash. But it’s very difficult advice to follow in the thick of it.

Read the article.

Why Dad’s Side of the Family Tends to Miss Out

By Chiara Dello Joio

Many people have stronger bonds with their maternal relatives. Why?

Read the article.

A Shift in American Family Values Is Fueling Estrangement

By Joshua Coleman

Both parents and adult children often fail to recognize how profoundly the rules of family life have changed over the past half century.

Read the article.

Still Curious?

• American family life should not be this volatile: Welcome to the age of tremors, Elliot Haspel wrote in 2023.
• A totally unnecessary way to stress parents out: Julie Beck on the tyranny of school spirit days

Other Diversions

• The not-at-all-funny life of Mark Twain
• We’re all living in a Carl Hiaasen novel.
• An old-school pitching coach says I told you so.

P.S.

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— Isabel