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They say you shouldn’t use the process of writing a book as a form of therapy. While therapeutic benefits were never the intention for author Rose Diell with her book Fledging, that is precisely what she found.
When I first read Fledging, I adored it so much that I felt compelled to write about it myself. So, essentially, this writer spotlight discussion centres on my piece, The Book That Shows The Complexity of the Baby Decision, which, in turn, centres on Rose Diell’s book Fledging.
The Book That Shows the Complexity of the Baby Decision
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Something I am particularly passionate about here at Life Without Children is building bridges between the childless, childfree and people with kids. There is already too much division in this world.
Diell’s writing is yet another wonderful example of bridge-building. While she has her protagonist explore her yearnings about having a child, or not, she also ensures her protagonist is respectful of those who have kids and those who are struggling to conceive.
No decision is made out to be wrong or right. Because, as we all know, there is no universal right or wrong way to live.
I had the honour of being a beta reader for Diell and was delighted to hear that Diell had incorporated my suggestions into the book. My key suggestion was to draw out the theme of friendship.
In my experience, the inevitable changes to friendships when one person has kids and the other doesn’t are a common source of grief, difficulty, and confusion.
I adore the way Diell places her childfree-leaning protagonist in a close friendship with someone struggling to conceive, and the way Diell has her protagonist show up with compassion and sensitivity.
Lia brushes over her lack of desire for children. While her internal voice wants to reassure her friend that there’s more to life than children, sensitively, she knows this is not the right time. Instead, she reflects on whether she is faulty and defunct. - Fledging
Because ultimately, as Diell and I agree, there is more that unites the childfree and childless than divides us. And we can all learn from each other.
Although Diell identifies as being childfree, she openly speaks about a fear of waking up in years to come and realising she is actually childless. She doesn’t take her childfree life for granted, and with this awareness, she is wide open to learning from those who are childless.
We also discuss a second theme in the book: the impact of kids on the mother-daughter relationship. Many people who are childless feel they have let their parents down, and some people who are childfree endure relentless pressure from their parents.
It’s never easy. But as Diell suggests, by showing up for each other in an adult-to-adult relationship, we can hopefully minimise these difficulties.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. Please give this a listen and hear the wisdom from Diell herself.
If you’ve read Fledging, we’d love to hear what you think about it in the comments.
Useful links
You can find Fledging in all major book stores and online.
If you want to connect with Rose, you can follow her on Instagram.
During the conversation, we mentioned an essay by Ann Pratchett, you can read this essay titled There Are No Children Here in her book These Precious Days.
I hope you enjoy watching this discussion as much as we enjoyed having it.
We have an exciting schedule of LIVE discussions coming up. Pop these in your calendar, and if you have any burning questions you would like me to pose to any of these writers, please drop them in the comments here.
Thursday, 13th November, at 18:00 (GMT+1), with
.Discussing her article: What If a Low Birth Rate Is Actually a Blessing?
Join this discussion via the LIVE link here.
Thursday, 11th December, at 18:00 (GMT+1) with
Discussing her article: There Is a Big, Uncomfortable Reason Why Some Women Don’t Have Children
Join this discussion via the LIVE link here.
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