Author: Silton, Nava R.
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325
Book Description
In contemporary academia, the multifaceted roles of women and the unique challenges they encounter throughout their lives and motherhood are often understudied and overlooked. Issues ranging from everyday struggles faced by immigrant women to the profound effects of domestic abuse, disability, and disordered eating on maternal well-being and child development persist in the shadows of scholarly exploration. This lack of comprehensive research not only hinders our understanding of women's vital contributions to society but also deprives us of the knowledge required to address these challenges effectively. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is a groundbreaking book that fills the void in academic literature, offering a comprehensive exploration of women's lived experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities in the present day. It provides a holistic perspective on women's roles in society and motherhood, from their early development to the unique challenges they face during pregnancy, infertility, and raising children with disabilities. Scholars, researchers, and individuals interested in the intricate study of women, motherhood, femininity, and child development will find this book to be an invaluable resource.
Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development
Author: Silton, Nava R.
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325
Book Description
In contemporary academia, the multifaceted roles of women and the unique challenges they encounter throughout their lives and motherhood are often understudied and overlooked. Issues ranging from everyday struggles faced by immigrant women to the profound effects of domestic abuse, disability, and disordered eating on maternal well-being and child development persist in the shadows of scholarly exploration. This lack of comprehensive research not only hinders our understanding of women's vital contributions to society but also deprives us of the knowledge required to address these challenges effectively. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is a groundbreaking book that fills the void in academic literature, offering a comprehensive exploration of women's lived experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities in the present day. It provides a holistic perspective on women's roles in society and motherhood, from their early development to the unique challenges they face during pregnancy, infertility, and raising children with disabilities. Scholars, researchers, and individuals interested in the intricate study of women, motherhood, femininity, and child development will find this book to be an invaluable resource.
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325
Book Description
In contemporary academia, the multifaceted roles of women and the unique challenges they encounter throughout their lives and motherhood are often understudied and overlooked. Issues ranging from everyday struggles faced by immigrant women to the profound effects of domestic abuse, disability, and disordered eating on maternal well-being and child development persist in the shadows of scholarly exploration. This lack of comprehensive research not only hinders our understanding of women's vital contributions to society but also deprives us of the knowledge required to address these challenges effectively. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is a groundbreaking book that fills the void in academic literature, offering a comprehensive exploration of women's lived experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities in the present day. It provides a holistic perspective on women's roles in society and motherhood, from their early development to the unique challenges they face during pregnancy, infertility, and raising children with disabilities. Scholars, researchers, and individuals interested in the intricate study of women, motherhood, femininity, and child development will find this book to be an invaluable resource.
Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309324882
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 587
Book Description
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309324882
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 587
Book Description
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
Why Is My Child in Charge?
Author: Claire Lerner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 153814901X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 219
Book Description
Solve toddler challenges with eight key mindshifts that will help you parent with clarity, calmness, and self-control. In Why is My Child in Charge?, Claire Lerner shows how making critical mindshifts—seeing children’s behaviors through a new lens —empowers parents to solve their most vexing childrearing challenges. Using real life stories, Lerner unpacks the individualized process she guides parents through to settle common challenges, such as throwing tantrums in public, delaying bedtime for hours, refusing to participate in family mealtimes, and resisting potty training. Lerner then provides readers with a roadmap for how to recognize the root cause of their child’s behavior and how to create and implement an action plan tailored to the unique needs of each child and family. Why is My Child in Charge? is like having a child development specialist in your home. It shows how parents can develop proven, practical strategies that translate into adaptable, happy kids and calm, connected, in-control parents.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 153814901X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 219
Book Description
Solve toddler challenges with eight key mindshifts that will help you parent with clarity, calmness, and self-control. In Why is My Child in Charge?, Claire Lerner shows how making critical mindshifts—seeing children’s behaviors through a new lens —empowers parents to solve their most vexing childrearing challenges. Using real life stories, Lerner unpacks the individualized process she guides parents through to settle common challenges, such as throwing tantrums in public, delaying bedtime for hours, refusing to participate in family mealtimes, and resisting potty training. Lerner then provides readers with a roadmap for how to recognize the root cause of their child’s behavior and how to create and implement an action plan tailored to the unique needs of each child and family. Why is My Child in Charge? is like having a child development specialist in your home. It shows how parents can develop proven, practical strategies that translate into adaptable, happy kids and calm, connected, in-control parents.
Mothering Our Boys (US Edition)
Author: Maggie Dent
Publisher: Pennington Publications
ISBN: 0648431010
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
"Maggie is earthy and real, full of love and knowledge, especially on raising sons." - Steve Biddulph "Maggie's perspective on raising boys is spot on. She writes with humor and depth, providing insight and strategies for many of the most important issues facing moms. There is a lovely ease to her writing and a powerful honesty. I hope every mother of a son (and everyone else!) will read this book. The future of the world, to a great extent, depends on how we raise our boys." - Michael Gurian, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Wonder of Boys and Saving Our Sons If we can see the world through boys' eyes a little better, we will make different choices in the way we mother them… and we will find them less confusing, and love them more deeply. Mothers of sons are worried about raising their boys in a world where negative images of masculinity are front and centre of our media, almost every day. Not only that, but statistically our boys are still struggling in many ways. Even though we live in a time where we recognise that nothing in gender is fixed, it remains a fact that the influence of a mother on her son is massive. A mother of four sons herself, Maggie Dent draws on her personal experience - and over four decades work as a teacher, counsellor and now author and speaker - to help build understanding, empathy and compassion for our boys. Maggie shares her five key secrets that every mum needs to know and uses the voices of men she has worked with and surveyed to reveal what really matters in a boy's relationship with his mother and other mother figures. Maggie is one of Australia's most popular parenting authors and educators, and her seminars about boys have sold out all across Australia and in the UK. She is finally sharing her insights, her reflections, and (as always) her humour around mothering boys to help you be the mum your son needs you to be.
Publisher: Pennington Publications
ISBN: 0648431010
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
"Maggie is earthy and real, full of love and knowledge, especially on raising sons." - Steve Biddulph "Maggie's perspective on raising boys is spot on. She writes with humor and depth, providing insight and strategies for many of the most important issues facing moms. There is a lovely ease to her writing and a powerful honesty. I hope every mother of a son (and everyone else!) will read this book. The future of the world, to a great extent, depends on how we raise our boys." - Michael Gurian, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Wonder of Boys and Saving Our Sons If we can see the world through boys' eyes a little better, we will make different choices in the way we mother them… and we will find them less confusing, and love them more deeply. Mothers of sons are worried about raising their boys in a world where negative images of masculinity are front and centre of our media, almost every day. Not only that, but statistically our boys are still struggling in many ways. Even though we live in a time where we recognise that nothing in gender is fixed, it remains a fact that the influence of a mother on her son is massive. A mother of four sons herself, Maggie Dent draws on her personal experience - and over four decades work as a teacher, counsellor and now author and speaker - to help build understanding, empathy and compassion for our boys. Maggie shares her five key secrets that every mum needs to know and uses the voices of men she has worked with and surveyed to reveal what really matters in a boy's relationship with his mother and other mother figures. Maggie is one of Australia's most popular parenting authors and educators, and her seminars about boys have sold out all across Australia and in the UK. She is finally sharing her insights, her reflections, and (as always) her humour around mothering boys to help you be the mum your son needs you to be.
Perfect Madness
Author: Judith Warner
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781594481703
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 356
Book Description
A lively and provocative look at the modern culture of motherhood and at the social, economic, and political forces that shaped current ideas about parenting What is wrong with this picture? That's the question Judith Warner asks in this national bestseller after taking a good, hard look at the world of modern parenting--at anxious women at work and at home and in bed with unhappy husbands. When Warner had her first child, she was living in Paris, where parents routinely left their children home, with state-subsidized nannies, to join friends in the evening for dinner or to go on dates with their husbands. When she returned to the States, she was stunned by the cultural differences she found toward how people think about effective parenting--in particular, assumptions about motherhood. None of the mothers she met seemed happy; instead, they worried about the possibility of not having the perfect child, panicking as each developmental benchmark approached. Combining close readings of mainstream magazines, TV shows, and pop culture with a thorough command of dominant ideas in recent psychological, social, and economic theory, Perfect Madness addresses our cultural assumptions, and examines the forces that have shaped them. Working in the tradition of classics like Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique and Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism, and with an awareness of a readership that turned recent hits like The Bitch in the House and Allison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It into bestsellers, Warner offers a context in which to understand parenting culture and the way we live, as well as ways of imagining alternatives--actual concrete changes--that might better our lives.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781594481703
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 356
Book Description
A lively and provocative look at the modern culture of motherhood and at the social, economic, and political forces that shaped current ideas about parenting What is wrong with this picture? That's the question Judith Warner asks in this national bestseller after taking a good, hard look at the world of modern parenting--at anxious women at work and at home and in bed with unhappy husbands. When Warner had her first child, she was living in Paris, where parents routinely left their children home, with state-subsidized nannies, to join friends in the evening for dinner or to go on dates with their husbands. When she returned to the States, she was stunned by the cultural differences she found toward how people think about effective parenting--in particular, assumptions about motherhood. None of the mothers she met seemed happy; instead, they worried about the possibility of not having the perfect child, panicking as each developmental benchmark approached. Combining close readings of mainstream magazines, TV shows, and pop culture with a thorough command of dominant ideas in recent psychological, social, and economic theory, Perfect Madness addresses our cultural assumptions, and examines the forces that have shaped them. Working in the tradition of classics like Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique and Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism, and with an awareness of a readership that turned recent hits like The Bitch in the House and Allison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It into bestsellers, Warner offers a context in which to understand parenting culture and the way we live, as well as ways of imagining alternatives--actual concrete changes--that might better our lives.
Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development
Author: Nava R. Silton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
In contemporary academia, the multifaceted roles of women and the unique challenges they encounter throughout their lives and motherhood are often understudied and overlooked. Issues ranging from everyday struggles faced by immigrant women to the profound effects of domestic abuse, disability, and disordered eating on maternal well-being and child development persist in the shadows of scholarly exploration. This lack of comprehensive research not only hinders our understanding of women's vital contributions to society but also deprives us of the knowledge required to address these challenges effectively. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is a groundbreaking book that fills the void in academic literature, offering a comprehensive exploration of women's lived experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities in the present day. It provides a holistic perspective on women's roles in society and motherhood, from their early development to the unique challenges they face during pregnancy, infertility, and raising children with disabilities. Scholars, researchers, and individuals interested in the intricate study of women, motherhood, femininity, and child development will find this book to be an invaluable resource. This book is a cornerstone of knowledge, a beacon of inspiration, and a call to action. It addresses the persistent challenges faced by women, unveiling their profound contributions to society. By offering insights, research, and solutions, it empowers academics to embrace and address these important issues, shedding light on the complex reality of women's lives. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is the quintessential resource for those seeking to expand their understanding and improve the lives of women and the children they nurture, shaping a more inclusive and compassionate future.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
In contemporary academia, the multifaceted roles of women and the unique challenges they encounter throughout their lives and motherhood are often understudied and overlooked. Issues ranging from everyday struggles faced by immigrant women to the profound effects of domestic abuse, disability, and disordered eating on maternal well-being and child development persist in the shadows of scholarly exploration. This lack of comprehensive research not only hinders our understanding of women's vital contributions to society but also deprives us of the knowledge required to address these challenges effectively. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is a groundbreaking book that fills the void in academic literature, offering a comprehensive exploration of women's lived experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities in the present day. It provides a holistic perspective on women's roles in society and motherhood, from their early development to the unique challenges they face during pregnancy, infertility, and raising children with disabilities. Scholars, researchers, and individuals interested in the intricate study of women, motherhood, femininity, and child development will find this book to be an invaluable resource. This book is a cornerstone of knowledge, a beacon of inspiration, and a call to action. It addresses the persistent challenges faced by women, unveiling their profound contributions to society. By offering insights, research, and solutions, it empowers academics to embrace and address these important issues, shedding light on the complex reality of women's lives. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Parenting, and Child Development is the quintessential resource for those seeking to expand their understanding and improve the lives of women and the children they nurture, shaping a more inclusive and compassionate future.
Parenting Matters
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309388570
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 525
Book Description
Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309388570
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 525
Book Description
Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Author: Daniel J. Kindlon
Publisher: Miramax
ISBN:
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
While many adolescents today have all the useful accessories of a prosperous society-cell phones, credit cards, computers, cars-they have few of the responsibilities that build character. Under intense pressure to be perfect and achieve, they devote little time to an inner life, and a culture that worships instant success makes it hard for them to engage in the slow, careful building of the skills that enhance self-esteem and self-sufciency. In this powerful and provocative book, Dr. Kindlon delineates how indulged toddlers become indulged teenagers who are at risk for becoming prone to, among other things, excessive self-absorption, depression and anxiety, and lack of self-control. Too Much of a Good Thing maps out the ways in which parents can reach out to their children, teach them engagement in meaningful activity, and promote emotional maturity and a sense of self-worth. Dan Kindlon, Ph.D. is a professor of child psychology at Harvard University. He is a frequent contributor to Child magazine and is the co-author of Raising Cain, a New York Times best-seller. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children.
Publisher: Miramax
ISBN:
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
While many adolescents today have all the useful accessories of a prosperous society-cell phones, credit cards, computers, cars-they have few of the responsibilities that build character. Under intense pressure to be perfect and achieve, they devote little time to an inner life, and a culture that worships instant success makes it hard for them to engage in the slow, careful building of the skills that enhance self-esteem and self-sufciency. In this powerful and provocative book, Dr. Kindlon delineates how indulged toddlers become indulged teenagers who are at risk for becoming prone to, among other things, excessive self-absorption, depression and anxiety, and lack of self-control. Too Much of a Good Thing maps out the ways in which parents can reach out to their children, teach them engagement in meaningful activity, and promote emotional maturity and a sense of self-worth. Dan Kindlon, Ph.D. is a professor of child psychology at Harvard University. He is a frequent contributor to Child magazine and is the co-author of Raising Cain, a New York Times best-seller. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children.
The Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030921937X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings offer an opportunity to provide children with a solid beginning in all areas of their development. The quality and efficacy of these settings depend largely on the individuals within the ECCE workforce. Policy makers need a complete picture of ECCE teachers and caregivers in order to tackle the persistent challenges facing this workforce. The IOM and the National Research Council hosted a workshop to describe the ECCE workforce and outline its parameters. Speakers explored issues in defining and describing the workforce, the marketplace of ECCE, the effects of the workforce on children, the contextual factors that shape the workforce, and opportunities for strengthening ECCE as a profession.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030921937X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings offer an opportunity to provide children with a solid beginning in all areas of their development. The quality and efficacy of these settings depend largely on the individuals within the ECCE workforce. Policy makers need a complete picture of ECCE teachers and caregivers in order to tackle the persistent challenges facing this workforce. The IOM and the National Research Council hosted a workshop to describe the ECCE workforce and outline its parameters. Speakers explored issues in defining and describing the workforce, the marketplace of ECCE, the effects of the workforce on children, the contextual factors that shape the workforce, and opportunities for strengthening ECCE as a profession.
Operating Instructions
Author: Anne Lamott
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 1400079098
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The acclaimed author of Bird by Bird brings her brilliant combination of humor and warmth to a "smart, funny, and comforting" chronicle of single motherhood (Los Angeles Times Book Review). It’s not like she’s the only woman to ever have a baby. At thirty-five. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all important first year. From finding out that her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out that her best friend and greatest supporter Pam will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but very little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events that make up a woman’s life. "Lamott is a wonderfully lithe writer .... Anyone who has ever had a hard time facing a perfectly ordinary day will identify." —Chicago Tribune
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 1400079098
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The acclaimed author of Bird by Bird brings her brilliant combination of humor and warmth to a "smart, funny, and comforting" chronicle of single motherhood (Los Angeles Times Book Review). It’s not like she’s the only woman to ever have a baby. At thirty-five. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all important first year. From finding out that her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out that her best friend and greatest supporter Pam will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but very little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events that make up a woman’s life. "Lamott is a wonderfully lithe writer .... Anyone who has ever had a hard time facing a perfectly ordinary day will identify." —Chicago Tribune