Being There

Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters

By: Erica Komisar, Sydny Miner

Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Compassionate and balanced, and focusing on the emotional health and well-being of children as well as that of the mothers who care for them, this book shows mothers and fathers how to give their children the best chance for developing into healthy and loving adults. Based on more than two decades of clinical work, established psychoanalytic theory, and the most current and cutting-edge neurobiological research on caregiving, attachment, and brain development, the book explains:

• How to establish emotional connection with a newborn or young child - regardless of whether you're able to pause your career to stay home
• How to select and train quality childcare if necessary - and how to ease transitions and minimize stress for your baby or toddler
• What's true and false about widely held beliefs like "babies are resilient" and how to combat feelings of post-partum depression or boredom
• Why three months of maternity leave is not long enough - and how women and their partners can take control of their choices to provide for their family's emotional needs in the first three years

©2017 Erica Komisar (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

One of the best books on parenting.

Book would be of interest to expecting parents and actual parents. Nurturing for parents and or caregivers.

so good!!

loved it! so many great nuggets of information. I will listen to it again for sure :)

Amazing insight into the Strong impact that a mother has on her babies.

Mothers are important that I knew… but ….wow, this book really opened my eyes to just how STRONG the bond between mother and child is and how important it is to be in tune and truly in the moment with the child. Beautiful! I already shared with book with multiple others! Thank you for writing and sharing this book, Erica!

What I didn’t want to hear but needed to hear.

I thought this was very well researched and has a reasonable call to action: for parents to make an informed decision about prioritizing child rearing versus careers and to make a plan. We can’t have everything, all the time, all at once and that’s ok; there’s a lot of power and freedom and relief in coming to terms with that.

Highly Recommended

I was hesitant to listen to this book because I felt that I somehow was a not a good mom for working outside the home. however the book encourages if you can take a leave of absence from the workforce to go for it. she does not scold mothers who work, she understands that many households today are 2income. she describes how mothers can be more emotionally present with their children, selecting caregivers, the impact on kids when mothers are not there emotionally and physically. this book made me be more aware how I have not been emotionally present with my kids and how that stems from my relationship with my mother. it has made me change for the better.

Amazing insight and good reminder for Moms

I am a Child Development major and this was basically everything I have learned loaded into one book. It’s heavy, blunt, and full of amazing truth. I think any Mom will feel a little guilty when they read this (full time working Moms and start at home Moms) but I also feel it should being a sense of empowerment to Women and Moms all over. We are important and we matter. It gave me new perspective and a new sense of patience (I have a 2 yr old boy). Great read, I wish it was mandatory for all Moms (and Dads) to read!
Would love it if she came out with a book of ideas of how to be engaging and totally present with each age and stage!

Some good info, a little incongruent

Some of the info is really critical for mothers to understand, but the ending arguments claiming that all families are the same if they just recognize the losses of not having mom around... ugh why do we have to dance around this? kids need their mothers, full stop. She is way too politically correct at the end and doesn't recognize how the feminization of fathers is eroding the family unit.

Every Parent Should Read!

The best parenting book I have ever read on early childhood needs and I have read a lot!!! Data driven but not tedious to read.

Must read for new moms!!

Very informative!! I loved it so much I want to buy it in print to reread certain sections and take notes on some of the practical advice and ideas. I think all new moms should read this book but especially those on the fence about working.

Outdated, unrealistic, & offensive

This feels like an elitist, western, WASP view of child rearing and parenting. I did not enjoy this book. The perspective and tone is off putting. I would be miserable with my life, marriage, and motherhood if I prescribed to this thinking. Its view is INCREDIBLY narrow.