Tag Archives: the social animal review

  1. Book Review: “The Social Animal” by David Brooks

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    September 24, 2014 by Austin McNair

    The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement by David Brooks My rating: 3 of 5 stars …
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When I’m asked about how fatherhood is going, my response is that “It’s a gift.” And I mean it... The experience of being a father is a wild paradox. On one hand, it carries an enormous burden of responsibility and commitment that is often draining. Being present with my son means I give up a degree of personal flexibility, freedom, and energy. And even more is an existential pressure. My father means so much to me, so to step into those shoes for another living person is surreal. I want to be a great dad... and that takes a lot out of me. But then enters the paradox... Being a dad brings an invaluable sense of gratitude and perspective to my life. What I give up in energy is small potatoes when compared to the joy and invigoration I get from sharing small moments with my wife and son. In a weird way, being a father will perpetually be an opportunity to see the ages I’ve lived through played out in front of me again. How strange and wild. I write this post because I know the predominant narrative around being a parent is that it’s exhausting... and it is. But being a parent isn’t all exhaustion and a loss of freedom. These were my fears before being a dad. Now that I’m on the other side though, I have experienced so much more that I didn’t expect. This is why I want to make sure that I communicate that my headline story so far is that being a parent is a gift.
All I can say is that I love being a dad and that I learned from the best.
I’ve got a feeling the three of us are gonna do a lot of grilling this summer!
Happy Mother’s Day to three amazing moms!
We’ve got to clean up this planet. What’s a little thing you do to consume less and clean up more? 🌎 🌍 🌏 #earthday2019
My mom is amazing.