Kate

“Against his chest he felt the baby’s heartbeat, just under twice the rate of his own. Their pulses fell in and out of phase, but one day they would be always out. They would never be this close. He would know him less well, then even less. Others would know Lawrence better than he did, where he was, what he was doing and saying, growing closer to this friend, then this lover. Crying sometimes, alone. From his father, occasional visits, a sincere hug, catch up on work, family, some politics, then goodbye. Until then, he knew everything about him, where he was in every minute, in every place. He was the baby’s bed and his god. The long letting go could be the essence of parenthood and from here was impossible to conceive.”
― Ian McEwan, Lessons

“Life is enriched by difficulty; love is made more acute when it requires exertion.”
― andrew solomon, Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

“Oh, the others will talk and plan and make oaths and promises, but there are precious few fuckers who will do.”
― Ian McGuire, The North Water

“All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent parents should accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves.”
― Andrew Solomon, Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity