My Heart's First Steps: Writings That Celebrate the Gifts of Parenthood

by Jennifer Graf Groneberg

In this heartwarming, inspiring collection, mothers and fathers share their touching, occasionally bittersweet experiences as parents. From the miracle of birth to the wonder of baby's firsts to the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580629369
• ISBN13: 9781580629362
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

Sweet and sentimental

Geared especially toward first-time parents, My Heart's First Steps will find a ready audience among those for whom it is intended. The construction itself, with short chapters, essays, and poems, will make it appealing to those first-timers in the dizzy world of parenting in which some days success is measured by having found time to brush your teeth, make the bed, and decide what you're having for dinner. Not actually prepared it and served it, mind you: just decided what to fix. The entries are short enough to be read in the 5-10 minutes at a stretch that are all new parents feel they can call their own. It's meant to be sweet and sentimental - and it is. I did find myself, at points, wishing for a little more of the gritty and grizzly side of new parenting issues, more of an Annie Lamott take on how very difficult it often is to devote yourself to a 10-pound morsel of demanding humanity.

Sweet, tender, lovely

A great introduction to parenthood for those of us new to parenting. I got this book as a gift when my husband and I found out we were pregnant and it has been my constant companion. Highly recommended!

Great Book for Parents and Parents-to-Be

I'm a new father and was given this book as a gift. I didn't really know what to think about it until I started reading and fell in love with it. It made me realize that I am now a part of this huge tribe of parents, that my wife and I are not alone. I reccommend it to all parents and it makes a great baby shower gift for parents-to-be. It's simply a lovingly-written, heart-warming book.

Buy this Book!

This is such a sweet, emotional, reflective book, especially for first-time parents and parents with young children. Even the format (short essays and poetry), lends itself to chaotic schedules; you can read a page or two, put the book down and then pick it up right where you left off. Over the 2 or 3 days it took for me to complete this book, I found myself much more pensive than usual, reflecting on the essays, and delighting in the fact that a moment would soon come when I could pick up the book again. The work comes straight from the heart of the authors, and Groneberg's Introduction, along with her superb job of intertwining the pieces, are a testament to her beautiful writing and editing skills. As you read through the book, you could very well be re-living your own child's birth, first bath, or sleepless nights. It may sound trite, but there truly is something for everyone here. I especially loved "El Producto," "How my Children Came to Me," and "The Digging Hole," but every piece will in some way connect to that huge, proud, protective, vulnerable, loyal, fiercely loving Parent in all of us and reconfirm that indeed it is the best thing going. I know I will reach for the book time and again as my kids and I travel this grand journey.