Believing It All

May 7, 2001
Having in Turning Stones
chronicled his years as a social worker in New York City, when he witnessed the tragic abuse and neglect that so many children endure, Parent now shares a more positive, almost idyllic vision of family life in rural Pennsylvania. In vignettes from his tenure as the stay-at-home father of two small boys, he offers insights and ruminations on the lessons of parenthood that are "hidden beneath the roar of everyday living." Because it is still exceptional when men take on the role of primary caregiver for their preschool children while their wives go off to work, this author's thoughts may be taken much more seriously than similar musings by women. Parent is a fine writer, who deftly reveals the profound truths and important insights that spring from the intense intimacy of raising a child. A newborn who briefly stops breathing immediately after arriving home from the hospital, a three-year-old entranced by a dead squirrel in the road, a first somersault and an endless round of preschool interviews—all bear Parent's close scrutiny. As his children grow, Parent expresses a range of responses from "some days I'd really just like to have a dinner where I don't have to jump up to help someone use the toilet" to appreciating the "overwhelming and absolute power" of having children who look up to you and believe all that you tell them.

May 15, 2001
Parent, in a follow-up to " Turning Stones: My "Days and Nights with Children at Risk (1996), shares the inspiration he received and lessons he learned from spending time with his two small sons. With his chatty, storytelling style, his essays and the anecdotes they contain are enjoyable and humorous, but never cute. On finding a dead squirrel in the road, the author begins a discourse on life and death for his boys, after which one child asks, "Can I kick it?" Another story details an attempt at playing a board game with the children; Parent tries to explain the rules but the endeavor falls into chaos and hilarity as the children take over and make up their own rules. Funny and somewhat bittersweet, this light, inspirational look at raising children will be widely appreciated. Parent got a lot of attention for his last book, including an appearance on Oprah, so librarians will want to purchase this one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)