Thursday, April 4, 2019

#TreatYoShelf: 04/04/19

by Dan Masterton

"American Mothers are Trying Harder Than Ever–So Why Do We Feel Like We’re Failing?" by Elizabeth Tenety via Motherly

This is a great examination of the palpable challenges for mothers, and for parenting and starting/raising a family more broadly as well. I knew that managing our lives would be wholly different and decidedly more complex once we had kids; I did not have a way to know the degree to which that would be true. I am immensely grateful for my twelve weeks of paternity leave, and I cherish that we chose to take our leaves together. It kills me that so many go without this benefit, and I feel like (hope!) the social tides are turning in a positive direction here.

"Pete Buttigieg on faith, his marriage and Mike Pence" by Fr. Edward Beck via CNN

I gotta say Mayor Pete is my early favorite in this crowded Democratic field (I also like the intelligence and pragmatism of Andrew Yang, the thoughtfulness and authenticity of Julián Castro, and a few other bits). I read his memoir, and I've found his interviews and appearances to be heavy on integrity, consensus solutions, and practical approaches. Additionally, his religious attitude is refreshing. He's a I-just-live-my-faith sort of guy who just likes being a church-going Christian. That's a plus. What's troubling are the beginnings of unattractive answers on abortion (say it ain't so, Pete!) when I'm just looking for someone who moderates their pro-choice positions. Overall, Mayor Pete remains exciting and intriguing. Check him out.

"When Joe Biden Voted to Let States Overturn Roe v. Wade" by Lisa Lerer via NYTimes

I don't mean to make these links heavy on politics, and especially don't mean to hit you with two abortion-heavy links. However, I wanted to include this interesting history on Senator Biden's policy positions. It shows the way a thoughtful, earnest guy tries to wrestle with a difficult issue. I certainly don't agree with the way he proceeded in all of this, but the article profiles the process and the evolution thoroughly.

"Just One Game" by Brett Taylor at Bleacher Nation

Finally, another sports thing! Sportssportssports! One of my favorite sports writers out there is technically a blogger but approaches his craft with such thoughtfulness, nuance, and deliberate contextualization that he's better than a lot of the bigwigs. Here, Brett reflects on the realities of Opening Day and being a fan at the start of a season with high expectations for a good team. We will inevitably overreact (just as we are) and get disproportionately upset -- we shouldn't dismiss that, but there's also danger in going so extreme. Brett brings his usual carefulness to help get us grounded for another 162-game season.

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