Julia Thompson wrote:
> Ronn Blankenship wrote:
> >
> > At 07:57 AM 6/9/02, Jim wrote:
> >
> > >However, on the other hand, you can't deny that there are a lot of people
> > >out there that lack the basic skills to be parents, operate a gun, or vote
> > >responsibly. While I certainly don't support the idea of testing for
> > >fitness in a literal way, I have absolutely though on occasion that there
> > >*ought* to be a license to parent. Of course, given that I have lived
> > >right up on some pretty impoverished areas of the Eastern US, I may have a
> > >different perspective. I'd never vote for anything like that, but I'd be
> > >lying if I said I never wondered how certain folks could be permitted to
> > >raise children.
> >
> > Which is why I wonder every time I see them in the bookstore whether the
> > "Sex for Dummies" books are really such a good idea. After all, if they're
> > such "dummies" they need a manual for that first step, what kind of parents
> > can we expect them to make?
>
> <cynical>
>
> Well, there's also _Pregnancy for Dummies_ and _Parenting for Dummies_,
> so I guess it's all just a ploy by IDG Books to sell more books....
>
> </cynical>
>
> BTW, _Pregnancy for Dummies_ is probably not the most recommended book
> on pregnancy. I think it's a lot more likely that _What To Expect When
> You're Expecting_ is. (But if you're going to buy 3 or more books on
> pregnancy, the Dummies book could reasonably be among them. The first
> two ought to be WTEWYE and _The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy_. Those
> two will get you through a lot.) I know nothing of _Parenting for
> Dummies_ to be able to rate it, but it's not the single parenting book
> my pediatrician recommended for infancy. (_What To Expect the First
> Year_ is. And I'd throw in _The Girlfriend's Guide to Surviving the
> First Year of Motherhood as an auxilliary.)
I liked "Your pregnancy week by week" a lot. As for an interesting book on the
first year, the totally hilarious fiction book 'Dagboek van een ettertje' ('diary
of a rascal', the story told from the viewpoint of the baby, a bit like 'look
who's talking' but somewhat more vicious) is very amusing, absolutely to the
point and prepares you for the worst. It also is a good deterrent if you are not
sure about having kids. ;o)
Sonja
