Acknowledgments My gratitude jar is filled with thanks to the authors whose words make up this volume. This project is the result of their hard work and passion, and I am honored to have been given the gift of organizing this book to showcase their voices. I am thankful for the support, wisdom, and kindness from Jes- sica Gribble at Praeger, who approached me about this project early on and who patiently awaited its completion while cheering for me. Thanks to my friends and family, especially those who work tirelessly to support parents from all walks of life and who work tirelessly in their own parenting. Thanks to my students and colleagues at Whitman College who motivate me to ask complex questions and to present sophisticated answers and follow-up questions in an accessible way. I am grateful to my partner, Neal Christopherson, whose version of par- enting is, in no uncertain terms, the model of patience and kindness. I’m also grateful to my exchange student daughters, Louisa and Anna, who called me their host mom as they stayed in our home. And thanks to my son, Aaron, the child whose existence most defines me as a parent. I am constantly in awe of you, I learn from you, and I love you. And in about five minutes, you’re going to be bigger than I am. I hold in high esteem my own parents. Dad’s no longer alive, but I’m so glad I am the beneficiary of his lifelong dedication to teaching all of us—his kids and his students—to be kind, smart, funny, grateful, and just weird enough to make life interesting. The music helped, too. My mom’s life work serves as the inspiration for mine. I say this both as a daughter who has learned from a loving and brilliant mother and as a scholar whose aim—like hers—is to share good information about how parents and children actually live their lives and how we can participate in improving the lives of all parents. Mom, you started this. Thanks for letting me continue your work.
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