tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post6473269618841366770..comments2024-03-26T12:19:52.801-04:00Comments on Tea at Trianon: The Holy Grail of Parenting Wisdomelena maria vidalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17129629173535139807noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-12110743453064636242010-04-02T05:59:46.237-04:002010-04-02T05:59:46.237-04:00Years ago as an adolescent I remember reading Mary...Years ago as an adolescent I remember reading Mary McCarthy's <i>The Group</i>, having been told that it was a DIRTY BOOK and thus inherently of interest to the Growing Boy. Uh, yeah, right, not only are the book's descriptions of sex revolting enough to deter Tiger Woods, but the descriptions of childcare are (in their understated way) more alarming still. <br /><br />The manner in which the novel portrays Priss Hartshorn as believing implicitly in the most cold-blooded and self-contradictory doctrines of her pediatrician husband was much more scary than a dozen horror movies. Priss seemed to have neither a modicum of commonsense, nor a spine. If her husband had told her to stick her baby in the microwave oven (not that they had microwave ovens at the time the novel is set) she would probably have done that too. I've met many Priss types in real life, too intellectually pretentious and too lacking in self-confidence to do any parenting at all without an imprimatur from some more or less deranged pagan "expert" or other.R Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17624645479033609279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-65383644191964832912010-04-01T12:56:38.217-04:002010-04-01T12:56:38.217-04:00I was the youngest in the family and was always &#...I was the youngest in the family and was always 'the baby' so knew nothing about child care. I read every book I could get my hands on. Then my Father-in-law said "Read those then do what comes naturally". I think he was fearful I would get into the <br />'new' psychology of the day, but I was primarily interested in useful tips for organizing and managing, plus understanding about the general care and feeding of babies and avoiding diaper rash!Julygirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08113475639726723076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-13097697396966294552010-04-01T10:27:27.094-04:002010-04-01T10:27:27.094-04:00I don't know. I personally could not be happy ...I don't know. I personally could not be happy or fulfilled if I had to be away from my family.elena maria vidalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17129629173535139807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-81615861999522662722010-04-01T10:22:32.526-04:002010-04-01T10:22:32.526-04:00Women grow up in the me-first hedonism of today’s ...<i>Women grow up in the me-first hedonism of today’s society and are then asked to renounce self-fulfilment in the name of total motherhood. “These are radically opposed imperatives.”</i> <br /><br />Well, she got that part right, at least. But it should be obvious to any Catholic that the answer is <i>more</i> self-sacrifice, not less. How can anyone look at the world today and say "we should be more selfish"?Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05279960474896005256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-12045637372021625752010-04-01T09:30:48.293-04:002010-04-01T09:30:48.293-04:00Lindsay, I think you hit the nail on the head.Lindsay, I think you hit the nail on the head.elena maria vidalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17129629173535139807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-74415893982623153232010-04-01T08:14:47.693-04:002010-04-01T08:14:47.693-04:00I think the breakdown of the family has a lot to d...I think the breakdown of the family has a lot to do with the fascination with parenting books. So much wisdom was lost and skipped generations in its careful passing down--both by advice and by example. Also, I think that some *choice* parenting books help counter the "scientific" advice that was adopted when "Parenting Books" first came on the market. Its really a vicious cycle, isn't it? Though, our society has an unhealthy obsession with "self-help" books in general, not just about parenting. When we find that life is hard, we assume it must just be because we aren't doing it right.Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11081757519772226348noreply@blogger.com