Yesterday, I received a very exciting package in the mail! It was a FREE copy of Jamie Zeppa's Every Time We Say Goodbye. I entered a draw on firstreads at goodreads.com and I was chosen. I didn't really believe it until the book arrived yesterday. SOO exciting!!!
It came at the perfect time as I had just finished book 5 of my 50 in 2011 challenge. "What?" you say, "how did that happen?" Well, the reviews for books 4 and 5 are coming in the next few days, stay tuned:)
In any case, I was ready for a new book. And, voila!, it landed on my doorstep. Talk about Divine Providence! I am four chapters in and already my heart is wrenched. I feel like my insides are being ripped from my body. I know I am overly sensitive and emotional, but I just want to cry and cry.
This book is so beautifully written. I love, love, love Grace and just want things to be better for her. I have just finished a whole chapter about her baby's first few months and I am in agony.
Grace is without a husband and living on the charity of her brother and his wife. Unfortunately, there is a very high price for Grace to pay for this kindness. She has to let Vera, her sister-in-law, make the decisions about how to raise the baby. Grace just wants to hold him and play with him, talk to him and pick him up when he cries. Vera is having nothing of it. She believes that Grace is spoiling the baby. Vera thinks Grace holds him too much, feeds him too often. She is terrified of what will become of him if they do not follow the rules and schedules outlined in the official "pamphlets".
I am not very good at figuring out what era we are in, but it seems to be the era I was raised in when formula was the preferred food for babies. I firmly believe that everyone should parent in the style that works best for them and their baby. It can't be good for anyone, especially baby, if there is conflict, internal or external, with the chosen parenting style. I, myself, subscribe to attachment parenting. When my baby cries, I answer him. He gets picked up, fed or played with as he needs. My children sleep in my bed until they decide not to. I have had kids there until 7 or 8 years old and some who never needed it at all. I nurse my babies as often and for as long as they need. My rationale is that they are people just like the rest of us, except for the very important fact that they are completely dependent upon us for everything! I guess you can see why I am having difficulty with Grace's situation.
I should warn you that I do not always finish books that affect me this way, but I am so attached to Grace already that I NEED to know what happens.
Check back for the full review - better give me a week or so - I may need to take mental health breaks:)
In the meantime, happy reading!
You are such a mushball.
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