Parenthood By Anissa Papadakos
PARENTHOOD:― INDISPUTABLY THE HARDEST AND MOST DEMANDING JOB IN THE UNIVERSE. FOR SOME IT CAN BRING THE UTMOST JOY AND HAPPINESS.
A
“love at first sight” type of magical moment when Baby arrives. But for others - a polar opposite. Countless days filled with fear and confusion, of dark days and nights, and of depression and anxiety. On the other hand there are physical challenges:― breastfeeding. For some it comes easily but for others it is a difficult task. “The baby just doesn’t want to latch on”, is a common statement made by many mothers, along with “I am terrible at
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this, there must be something wrong with me”. As a result, the mother loses faith in her own maternal instincts and her strength begins to dwindle. For fathers the physical challenge is to have the stamina to keep providing. To hold up the “fort” while pressures keep building. To “Man-up” emotionally and not show the cracks in their armour. “We are boys made from hard men and we do not break”. “We are strong for everyone”.
The books, entitled ‘The Brochure Lied” and ‘Superdad’, are two short, light-hearted and illustrated selfhelp manuals created to address negative issues such as difficulty breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, depression and anxiety, the pressure to provide, to Man-up, fear and the dreaded spotlight. They were created to reassure all mums and dads (new, young and old), within our community that they possess the strength of Wonder Woman and Superman within. And
