Overview
When did āparentingā become a verb? Why is it so hard to parent, and so rife with the possibility of failure? Sitcom families of the pastāthe Cleavers, the Bradys, the Connersādidnāt seem to lose any sleep about their parenting methods. Today, parents are likely to be up late, doomscrolling on parenting websites. In Long Days, Short Years, Andrew Bombackāphysician, writer, and father of three young childrenālooks at why it can be so much fun to be a parent but, at the same time, so frustrating and difficult to parent. Itās not a āhow toā book (although Bomback has read plenty of these) but a āhow comeā 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.Ā
Drawing 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. Spockās 1950s childcare bibleāin some years outsold only by the actual Bibleāto the more rigid training schedules of Babywise. 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 How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, parenting during a pandemic, and much more.
This book title, Long Days, Short Years (A Cultural History of Modern Parenting), ISBN: 9780262548434, by Andrew Bomback, published by MIT Press (February 3, 2026) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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