The Republic of Parenthood : On Bringing Up Babies

The perfect new baby gift, even for parents doing it a second and third time around' Alice Vincent, author of Hark'Will bring comfort and courage to all its readers'�Nell Frizzell, author of�Holding the BabyMotherhood feels as though you have woken up in Oz and everything's in�Technicolor. But also, you've been crushed by a house. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett began writing�The Republic of Parenthood�in the final weeks of her pregnancy. The plan was to document, in real time, what it means to be a parent in Britain today. But when her son was born five weeks early, she found herself catapulted into parenthood: a world of crushing love, and fear, and hope. Drawn from Cosslett's agenda-setting�Guardian�column, alongside new essays and beautiful illustrations by Pia Bramley,�The Republic of Parenthood�is a fearless account of the first years of this new life. From Rachel Cusk to Anne Enright, many seminal writers have tackled the subject but, as a new generation become parents, Cosslett uses razor-sharp honesty and great humour to�explore the unique challenges they face.�The Republic of Parenthood�wrestles with the entire joyful, overwhelming, messy experience, whether writing about the impact of Britain's catastrophically expensive childcare system, or the quest for the pair of socks that can withstand a persistent toddler's best efforts. At its heart is the understanding that something so entirely personal is also political; a paean to love and pain, and one that will resonate with weary parents everywhere.