In these 23 original stories, mothers and fathers from all walks of life explore the challenges and rewards of parenthood. They fall hopelessly in love with newborns, secretly fear having made a huge mistakes, race to finish birthing at home before the paramedics arrive, struggle with the bureaucracy of international adoption, despair of ever getting a one-year-old to nap, are nearly broken by colic, encounter other judge-y parents in birthing class, learn how to parent children with special needs, and more. Together, these essays map the grand (and sometimes terrifying) journey that begins with each new life.