Parent Goals: The Millennial’s Guide to New Parent Preparedness

Millennials are “raising a generation that can change the world... the pressure is on,” writes social worker Garrett in her encouraging debut. Doling out the guidance she wished she’d had when contemplating motherhood, Garrett begins by advising couples to ask themselves about their goals and expectations (“what makes you want to be a parent in the first place,” for example). She then tackles such topics as parenting styles, self-care, and relationships with extended family. Her advice is especially strong in sections on new-parent anxieties (“when we share them, we lessen their power”) and attachment theory (“we have the power to change generational dysfunction if we summon the courage to be vulnerable”). Garrett rejects the standard of mothers as “default parents” and writes to parents as a team, offering no shortage of practical advice—meet with a financial planner and write a parenting mission statement, she advises. Things always come with a satisfying dose of understanding: “The beauty and challenge of children is that they are constantly changing and growing, and we as parents must evolve right along with them. Ready to get started? Deep breath. Here we go.” New parents will find this worth returning to. (Nov.)