Description

Book Synopsis
How parenting became a verb, from Dr. Spock and June Cleaver to baby whispering and free-range kids.

When 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 Long Days, Short Years, 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. 
 
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Long Days Short Years A Cultural History of

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    A Hardback by Andrew Bomback

    £17.85

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    RRP £21.00 – you save £3.15 (15%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Tue 29 Sep 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher MIT Press Ltd
      Published 9 August 2022
      ISBN-13 9780262047159
      978-0262047159
      ISBN-10 0262047152
      Also in:
      Family and health

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      How parenting became a verb, from Dr. Spock and June Cleaver to baby whispering and free-range kids.

      When 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 Long Days, Short Years, 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. 
       
      Drawing on par

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