Irish Readers discussion
So...I'm going to be a dad...
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Im a mum to seventeen month old boy, no amount of reading will prepare you to be , its one of those jobs that you just learn as you go along.Its hard but rewarding job
Nah I don't think you're getting me guys. I'm not looking for advice. I'm looking for a books that might have a Father/Son or Parent/Child aspect to them.For instance..a friend recommended The Road. Yes it's post-apocalyptic and dark, but you can't deny it deals with a Father and Son.
So...have any of the parents out there ever read a book that made them think about their relationship with their children in a new light?
Oh! the road is an excellent recommendation Keith, when reading it I was that parent trying to protect my child the whole book through, and having discussed this book with friends who did not have kids, they liked the book but were not as passionate about it as a parent with a child.I will reluctantly add
not my cup of tea but some people love it.
Keith - a couple of recommendations for youZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - father son relationship central.
Rabbit Angstrom : The Four Novels : Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit is Rich; Rabbit at Rest - get started on the Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom story, his evolving relationship with his children.
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also recommend getting your reading done before Junior arrives
Once again, Keith, congratulations on your upcoming child. Bouncing on a gym ball? So that's how baby's come out. I always thought it had something to do with hospitals. Silly me.
Well, as for your request...
First off, two books that might help you practice more. (You didn't ask for this per se, but pedantic as I am, I'm giving you to them anyway). Two books by Mary Rennault. "The Praise Singer." A fictional account of Simonides of Keos, the epic poet who wrote the epitath for Leonidas and this 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. Also, another book by her, "The Mask of Apollo" about a fictional actor in Classical Athens who lived in the years after the Peloponesian War.
To get you to the gym: "The Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield. Speaking of Leonidas, his 300 Spartans, and the battle of Thermopylae, this book is about just that. Unlike that attrocious film based on the subject, "Gates" is very intelligently written and after reading the (granted, largely speculative) way the Spartans trained, I think you'll really want pump up so you can go out and kill someone with a spear and look really buff doing it.
Actually, any book by Pressfield would probably impress you in the ways he describes how the ancient Greeks made themselves some of the world's greatest atheteles in history largely for the purpose of slaughtering each other and whoever else picked a fight with them. It's no wonder that the Persians got their assses kicked despite having overwhelming numbers.
Now, pertaining to the question you originally asked about suggestions for parenthood reading: I really don't know..... I sold all my kids as soon as they were born except one that I gave to my neighbors so they'd have someone to clean up their yard.
The comedian Paul Reisner wrote several books about family, including one called "Babyhood." Going by the title, I have to presume it's about having and raising a baby. I'm not really sure, because I never read it. I don't think I ever even picked it up. I may have seen it once or twice.... but I'm not really sure about that either. But having viewed most of the t.v. episodes of "Mad About You" in which he both starred in and also usually wrote, I get the impression that he approaches his life and family, including his offsring, in a positive, productive, and holistic manner. So you might want to check your local library for it and thumb through it to see if it's appropriate for your lifestyle. Or that it's at least about having and raising a baby. If not, let me know so I don't recommend it to someone else for the same purpose.
One last thing to suggest. A clip from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet.
"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the Infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable."
In all sincerity, I wish you and your family, health, happiness, an abundance of friends, and prosperity.
Well, as for your request...
First off, two books that might help you practice more. (You didn't ask for this per se, but pedantic as I am, I'm giving you to them anyway). Two books by Mary Rennault. "The Praise Singer." A fictional account of Simonides of Keos, the epic poet who wrote the epitath for Leonidas and this 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. Also, another book by her, "The Mask of Apollo" about a fictional actor in Classical Athens who lived in the years after the Peloponesian War.
To get you to the gym: "The Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield. Speaking of Leonidas, his 300 Spartans, and the battle of Thermopylae, this book is about just that. Unlike that attrocious film based on the subject, "Gates" is very intelligently written and after reading the (granted, largely speculative) way the Spartans trained, I think you'll really want pump up so you can go out and kill someone with a spear and look really buff doing it.
Actually, any book by Pressfield would probably impress you in the ways he describes how the ancient Greeks made themselves some of the world's greatest atheteles in history largely for the purpose of slaughtering each other and whoever else picked a fight with them. It's no wonder that the Persians got their assses kicked despite having overwhelming numbers.
Now, pertaining to the question you originally asked about suggestions for parenthood reading: I really don't know..... I sold all my kids as soon as they were born except one that I gave to my neighbors so they'd have someone to clean up their yard.
The comedian Paul Reisner wrote several books about family, including one called "Babyhood." Going by the title, I have to presume it's about having and raising a baby. I'm not really sure, because I never read it. I don't think I ever even picked it up. I may have seen it once or twice.... but I'm not really sure about that either. But having viewed most of the t.v. episodes of "Mad About You" in which he both starred in and also usually wrote, I get the impression that he approaches his life and family, including his offsring, in a positive, productive, and holistic manner. So you might want to check your local library for it and thumb through it to see if it's appropriate for your lifestyle. Or that it's at least about having and raising a baby. If not, let me know so I don't recommend it to someone else for the same purpose.
One last thing to suggest. A clip from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet.
"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the Infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable."
In all sincerity, I wish you and your family, health, happiness, an abundance of friends, and prosperity.
Wow, I really love that excerpt, Craig; pretty awesome.CONGRATULATIONS KEITH!!!!!!!
I don't have any minions, but I teach a lot of older ones. While educational books probably aren't exactly what you have in mind, I find many of them to be really inspirational and they help me to remember of the amazing things our children are capable of. Freedom Writers is a great place to start. Anything by Jonathon Kozol is also quite striking. He writes a lot about the crappy condition of American school but he also has a heart for elementary education that shines through.
If you haven't read To Kill A Mockingbird in your lifetime, make it a priority. Of all the father figures you could possibly aspire to be, I dare say Atticus Finch is the best you can get.
Dem wrote: "Oh! the road is an excellent recommendation Keith, when reading it I was that parent trying to protect my child the whole book through, and having discussed this book with friends who did not have ..."I would second the Road, as for Room read it before the baby arrives anyone that I know who read it and have kids found it very distrubing. Good Luck with parenthood :)
Put the book down and give hugs. Or dedicate every waking moment to creating more and more imaginative nicknames to embarass Baby when he/she is grown. :)
Thanks for all the recommendations guys. Plenty to add to my TBR list.Craig thanks for the quoted passage. I'm going to grab a cup of tea and I'll sit down and read it properly. :)
My pleasure Keith. Below is something you might want to see when it comes your way as well Keith. It seems to be a movie about having parent issues. The writer/director is the same as the film "The Thin Red Line" which came out back in the mid-90s. Aparrently this guy makes a film about as often as when Haley's Commet comes around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlYYre...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlYYre...
@Andy LOL! I might get this for myself. Maybe Samuel L. Jackson can scare me out of my insomnia ;P
Joanna wrote: "@Andy LOL! I might get this for myself. Maybe Samuel L. Jackson can scare me out of my insomnia ;P"Morning :p
Pity they couldn't get Morgan Freeman. That would have been awesome. Or more than Freeman even.
Irish Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Go the Fuck to Sleep (other topics)Go the Fuck to Sleep (other topics)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (other topics)
Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels (other topics)
Room (other topics)
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Now, I tend to read books to get me inspired. I've read a lot of books about musicians to help me practice more. I've read books about Sports people to get me going to the Gym (without success!)
So help me out here. Has anyone got any recommendations to inspire me about Fatherhood, or Parenthood in general? Fiction, Biographies etc. I'm not looking for another What to Expect the First Year. I think Lorna has bought every one of those books in Easons. I'm just looking for a good inspiring story.