The Longest Shortest Time

Vulnerability and Other Lessons

Thanks to everyone who has given me such great feedback and submitted stories so far. As I sort through the submissions and line up interviews, I leave you with a quote from Harriet Lerner, a psychologist and author of books about families.

When things go by the book, which statistically speaking they are likely to do, pregnancy is still a lesson in surrender and vulnerability. Your body is inhabited; you live with the realization that childbirth is a wild card; and you know at some level that your life will soon be altered in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. No matter how well you prepare yourself, you are not going to be able to run the show. You’re in the thick of a full catastrophe, and change is the only thing you can count on for sure.

inner-mama-background

There are lots of not-so-helpful parenting books out there. But when I picked up Finding Your Inner Mama, which includes Lerner’s essay, “Vulnerability and Other Lessons,” I thought, Now this is a parenting book. Most of what we hear publicly about childbirth and early parenthood is the cuteness and instant bonding and how this or that celebrity lost her baby weight in a matter of weeks. But some people nail it. I’ll continue to share quotes I think are helpful. And if you have any that you think are worthy, leave them in the comments.

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