Second Thoughts

A beautifully written account of a quest, both personal and scientific, to better understand the impact and experience of the second child.

There are entire shelves filled with books on parenthood from fairy tales, novels and memoirs to polemics and collections of essays. But while I was expecting our second child, I realised that we have surprisingly few words for this particular new experience.

While every parent knows more of what to expect the next time round, the birth of a second child is no less momentous. Family relationships multiply, birth-order myths hover and sibling rivalry and parental exhaustion threaten. Yet the potential for joy and love within the family also expands, as if by magic.

This new literary talent shines a tender insight on a forgotten subject: what it is to parent for the second time and what it is to forever be a younger child.