As any adult can tell you - or any adult not given over entirely to mawkish and convenient notions of innocence - children are born spies. Every parent (previously an independent individual pursuing their own interests and desires) knows: a child arrives and it starts to watch you. You are never alone again, not really. There is someone who has arrived and will not go away; who not only watches you but also possesses their own consciousness, has views, puts two and two together and understands more or less than you want them to, but either way distorts the picture you have of your life.

LRB 10 April 2008 | PDF Download