{"product_id":"long-days-short-years-isbn-9780262047159","title":"Long Days, Short Years","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow parenting became a verb, from Dr. Spock and June Cleaver to baby whispering and free-range kids.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen did “parenting” become a verb? Why is it so hard to parent, and so rife with the possibility of failure? Sitcom families of the past—the Cleavers, the Bradys, the Conners—didn’t seem to lose any sleep about their parenting methods. Today, parents are likely to be up late, doomscrolling on parenting websites. In \u003ci\u003eLong Days, Short Years\u003c\/i\u003e, Andrew Bomback—physician, writer, and father of three young children—looks at why it can be so much fun to be a parent but, at the same time, so frustrating and difficult to parent. It’s not a “how to” book (although Bomback has read plenty of these) but a “how come” book, investigating the emergence of an immersive, all-in approach to raising children that has made parenting a competitive (and often not very enjoyable) sport. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDrawing on parenting books, mommy blogs, and historical accounts of parental duties as well as novels, films, podcasts, television shows, and his own experiences as a parent, Bomback charts the cultural history of parenting as a skill to be mastered, from the laid-back Dr. Spock’s 1950s childcare bible—in some years outsold only by the actual Bible—to the more rigid training schedules of \u003ci\u003eBabywise\u003c\/i\u003e. Along the way, he considers the high costs of commercialized parenting (from the babymoon on), the pressure on mothers to have it all (and do it all), scripted parenting as laid out in \u003ci\u003eHow to Talk So Kids Will Listen\u003c\/i\u003e, parenting during a pandemic, and much more. Author's Note xi\u003cbr\u003e1 How \u003ci\u003eParent \u003c\/i\u003eBecame My Verb 1\u003cbr\u003e2 How \u003ci\u003eParent \u003c\/i\u003eBecame Everyone's Verb 9\u003cbr\u003e3 Playing the Role of Parent 25\u003cbr\u003e4 For Sale 41\u003cbr\u003e5 Maddened\/Melted 51\u003cbr\u003e6 We Are Here to Help (I) 69\u003cbr\u003e7 We Are Here to Help (II) 83\u003cbr\u003e8 Parents Strike Back 97\u003cbr\u003e9 Precision Parenting 109\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue: Parenting during a Pandemic 129\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments 143\u003cbr\u003eNotes 145\u003cbr\u003eIndex 157\u003cb\u003eOne of \u003ci\u003eGreater Good\u003c\/i\u003e's Favorite Parenting Books of 2022\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Bomback’s work on modern parenthood takes on many prevalent topics, including economic anxiety, social pressures, and the tension between careers and family life. His narrative also reveals the internal pressures that parents face to become the best they can be in that role, while recognizing the limits of their resources, patience, and personalities…His empathy and frankness shine through on each page. This book is enjoyable to read and likely to be validating for many parents of young children.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“[A] charming outing…The author’s determination to be a better parent is evident and motivating, and his wide-ranging study makes for a fascinating look at caretaking philosophies. Parents will find this full of insight.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“There is something refreshing about a ‘parenting’ author who admits to being imperfect, knows he does not have all the answers, and is not entirely sure what all the questions are. The result is that Long Days, Short Years is plainspoken and straightforward in expression in a thoroughly non-didactic way that readers are sure to appreciate.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Infodad blog\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"The Parent Trap\u003c\/i\u003e highlights the folly in expecting parents to shoulder the complete responsibility for their children’s skill development, because it leads to success for only a fraction of children whose parents are wealthy. Hilger wants to stop overwhelming parents with unrealistic expectations and provide them with professional support and resources to help their children thrive and fulfill their potential.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eGreater Good\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ePhysician and father Andrew Bomback brings remarkable compassion to this meditation on the work of parenting. \u003ci\u003eLong Days, Short Years\u003c\/i\u003e is an insightful and enjoyable read. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Amy Fusselman, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Means\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIlluminating while never pedantic, \u003ci\u003eLong Days, Short Years\u003c\/i\u003e reflects on the pitfalls, lessons, and pleasures of modern parenting. With a keen yet relaxed narrative style, Andrew Bomback explains how being a parent became a culturally supercharged job: punishingly mundane, sometimes sublime, always a moving target.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Christopher Schaberg, Dorothy Harrell Brown Distinguished Professor of English, Loyola University New Orleans, and author of \u003ci\u003ePedagogy of the Depressed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eAndrew Bomback is Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the author of \u003cu\u003eDoctor\u003c\/u\u003e. His essays have appeared in the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMcSweeney’s\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere.\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303840764133,"sku":"NP9780262047159","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262047159.jpg?v=1767731697","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/long-days-short-years-isbn-9780262047159","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}