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Even God Had Bad Parenting Days
New parents get overwhelmed, regularly pushed to their limits and confused by contradictory feelings of elation and near-despair.
To soothe the frazzled and lift their spirits, writer and Bible scholar Alicia Jo Rabins has created “Even God Had Bad Parenting Days: ancient Jewish wisdom for new parents.” Humorous, self-reflective, and comforting, Rabins' musings on both heartening and cringe-worthy biblical examples of parenting can help any caregiver see beyond the detritus of day-to-day living with young children and recapture a sense of wonder at the process of raising small humans.
Parents do worry about their failed attempts to be perfect, and these short, personal essays can lead them to new perspectives and even to embrace a vital concept that English psychologist and pediatrician D.W. Winnicott called "the good enough parent." The supportive and inspirational writings of this gentle parenting book can help any soul embarked upon this wild, sacred work recognize the wisdom of poet Norman Fischer’s advice that “the only transcendence is fully embracing the ups and downs.”
This collection draws on Alicia Jo Rabins’ years of experience as a writer, Bible scholar, and feminist Jewish educator, and is based on her popular series of articles on parenting for Kveller.
To soothe the frazzled and lift their spirits, writer and Bible scholar Alicia Jo Rabins has created “Even God Had Bad Parenting Days: ancient Jewish wisdom for new parents.” Humorous, self-reflective, and comforting, Rabins' musings on both heartening and cringe-worthy biblical examples of parenting can help any caregiver see beyond the detritus of day-to-day living with young children and recapture a sense of wonder at the process of raising small humans.
Parents do worry about their failed attempts to be perfect, and these short, personal essays can lead them to new perspectives and even to embrace a vital concept that English psychologist and pediatrician D.W. Winnicott called "the good enough parent." The supportive and inspirational writings of this gentle parenting book can help any soul embarked upon this wild, sacred work recognize the wisdom of poet Norman Fischer’s advice that “the only transcendence is fully embracing the ups and downs.”
This collection draws on Alicia Jo Rabins’ years of experience as a writer, Bible scholar, and feminist Jewish educator, and is based on her popular series of articles on parenting for Kveller.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published September 6, 2022
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30 people want to read
About the author
Alicia Jo Rabins
8 books29 followersAlicia Jo Rabins is a writer, composer, musician, performer and Torah teacher based in Portland, Oregon.
DIVINITY SCHOOL, Alicia's first book, was awarded the prestigious 2015 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize, selected by C.D. Wright, and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her second book, FRUIT GEODE, is forthcoming from Augury Books/Brooklyn Arts Press in October 2018.
Alicia holds a MFA in Poetry from Warren Wilson College and a MA in Jewish Women's and Gender Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is the recipient of awards and scholarships from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and Bread Loaf Writers Conference.
Alicia was born in Portland Oregon, moved to the East Coast at four months old, met and married a Portlander who was passing through Brooklyn, and now is back in her birthplace with her husband and their two little kids. Alicia is also an internationally touring singer, violinist and songwriter. Her musical projects include Girls in Trouble, her indie-folk song cycle about the women of Torah, and an original one-woman chamber-rock opera, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff, which is now being made into a feature film. She loves coffee, gardening, herbal medicine, Torah, feminism, and peaty scotch, and is currently at work on a spiritual memoir.
DIVINITY SCHOOL, Alicia's first book, was awarded the prestigious 2015 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize, selected by C.D. Wright, and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her second book, FRUIT GEODE, is forthcoming from Augury Books/Brooklyn Arts Press in October 2018.
Alicia holds a MFA in Poetry from Warren Wilson College and a MA in Jewish Women's and Gender Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is the recipient of awards and scholarships from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and Bread Loaf Writers Conference.
Alicia was born in Portland Oregon, moved to the East Coast at four months old, met and married a Portlander who was passing through Brooklyn, and now is back in her birthplace with her husband and their two little kids. Alicia is also an internationally touring singer, violinist and songwriter. Her musical projects include Girls in Trouble, her indie-folk song cycle about the women of Torah, and an original one-woman chamber-rock opera, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff, which is now being made into a feature film. She loves coffee, gardening, herbal medicine, Torah, feminism, and peaty scotch, and is currently at work on a spiritual memoir.
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April 30, 2023
This book made me laugh and this book made me cry. This book is a love letter especially to nursing moms of very young children, but most of the essays hold wisdom and insight for parents of all stripes and sizes. I nursed my children a long time ago, they’re now 19 and 21, and I still learned new things about my parenting. I’m so excited to share this book with parents of young children. It’s a guide, it’s a much needed pause button, it’s a source of support and strength for all parents.
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