David – I think there is a lot in the book that can translate to dad. It is a book written by a mom from her perspective – but the ideas of discovering our identities should be universal. I do think a book like this is needed for dads who face just as much if not more pressure to fit within certain boxes.

I love this and resonate with it very deeply (if you replaced moms with dads). My grandfather once asked me if I was bored yet staying at home with my then 6-month-old. I simply laughed. The other day he remarked how the kid just doesn't stop, ever. And I simply nodded. A dad in my playgroup and I talked about the depression we experienced when our partners returned to work and we realized that at-home often meant at-home alone.

But I always find it interesting to see parenting from a mother's perspective. And I find myself challenged by what you have written here.

If I am hearing you right, you are saying that this book encourages moms to throw off the societal expectations placed on "motherhood" and embrace their authentic selves, which is a great challenge. On the flip side, I feel like I did that in becoming a full-time dad, throwing off societal expectations of what it means to be a (providing, etc) dad. And I feel like I found a truer version of myself in becoming a full-time dad.

Yet, there are times when I feel like I have lost a piece of myself in being a parent, but sometimes I think that piece is the societal piece that expects men to be financially productive. And, I find myself with many of the same domestic pressures I hear moms talking about as my wife works a lot to support us. (To say nothing of the pressure she feels). Of course, I wouldn't presume to know what it's like to be a full-time mom, but it's just interesting the expectations parents have to shed to be at home in themselves.