Short Reads for Busy Parents
Short Reads for Busy Parents
What I've Read This First Month Postpartum
It’s no surprise that parents of young children don’t have much time for leisurely reading. After my son was born, I was still getting a lot of reading done, as I had no other children to take care of. I read Tolkien’s Silmarillion and Erika Bachiochi’s The Rights of Woman during feeds. I even finally finished Dante’s Paradiso with my son in my lap. This time around, it’s been four weeks since giving birth, and I have yet to touch a book. Two children under two is hard work; it’s hard, and it’s busy. I have, however, managed to read the odd article or poem here and there, and have discovered (or re-discovered) some true gems. Without further ado, here are a few recommendations of words worth reading, even if you don’t have much time:
Non-Fiction:
‘Of Tradwives and Men’ by Felix James Miller for Fairer Disputations, a really sensible, insightful reflection on sharing domestic labour from the point of view of a husband and father.
‘Flourishing in Work and Family Life’, the transcript of a recent roundtable organised by Alexandra Davies for Public Discourse, and including experiences of balancing motherhood and creative/intellectual work from some women I truly admire, such as Erika Bachiochi, Haley Stewart, and Katy Faust. Rather aptly, I was not able to join the roundtable online in real time, as I was in labour with my now one-month-old baby at the time.
Poetry:
‘Spring and Fall’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins. A really beautiful poem about mourning our mortality, while also accepting it as the condition of life. I found this a strangely reassuring poem to read, in spite of its melancholy theme.
‘Light Shining Out of Darkness’ by William Cowper. Written as a hymn, this poem is famous for its first line, ‘God Moves in a Mysterious Way’. It is a testament to faith even at times of hopelessness and confusion. A year after it was written by Cowper, it was published in a collection of religious writings by his friend John Newton, the same ex-slave owner turned abolitionist who wrote ‘Amazing Grace’.
If you’re a busy parent, these should keep you busy for a while. If you are at a point in your life when you have more to read, this will make for some lovely reading over the weekend. Either way, I hope you enjoy these recommendations, and let me know if you have any reading suggestions for me! Until next time…
It's been decades since my inadequate assistance with our newborns, but during late nights I kept several books handy. At the time there was a publishing boomlet of what were called "philosophical dictionaries". A noted scholar would prepare short entries of disparate subjects, running from a page to several pages. Since my attention span wasn't running at full throttle, I found that these books fit the bill nicely. The two I had at the time were "Prejudices-A Philosophical Dictionary", Robert Nisbet and "Melody of Theology -A Philosophical Dictionary", Jaroslav Pelikan. The Nisbet one was quirky with entries such as : Heroes, Genius, Fatalism, Snobbism, Effrontery, Death, Psychobabble. Unfortunately there was also a very jarring entry - Abortion- which was incredibly disappointing from a stellar scholar of community and social life. Pelikan's ranges over various Christian theological entries like Faith, Justification, Filioque, Dante, Cappadocians, Hellenization, Origen, Patristics etc. So, in between bouts of baby vomit and diaper changes, I absorbed a little bit of knowledge!
congratulations on the arrival of your second child and a huge compliment for still managing to cultivate your great passion for literature, despite the incessant commitment that two children require. with admiration. Flavio