Bathing a newborn is a harder fought victory than brokering peace between the Naboo and the Gungans. So far, Elisabeth and I have successfully bathed our wailing banshee of a baby three times, with each successive attempt an improvement on the last. With slightly warmer water, Lorelei wasn’t […]
Holding hands carries with it a significance in storytelling and real life. Science shows that joining hands can synchronise breathing and heart-rate while, in fiction, an outstretched hand is an offer, a plea or invitation. In The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren get better acquainted through a […]
People naturally ascribe human traits to the inanimate and animals, so it stands to reason that babies would be no different. Previously, I’d have called a twitch of a baby’s mouth exactly that – a twitch. Now, though, every little tick and curl of the lips is a […]
Almost all Star Wars fans with children must have at one time or another imagined bestowing their kid with a name taken from the franchise. It was something Elisabeth and I imagined, long before we even had a little one of our own. With three positive pregnancy tests […]
Even before I was a Star Wars fan I believed in something like the Force. An energy that surrounds and penetrates, binding everything and everyone in one flow of existence. But since I gave birth, it’s provided me with a language for describing the indescribable; how I could […]
Everything is new through a newborn’s eyes, and so even simple things such as shopping take on a wondrous new life. There’s an innocence about the world again, some unspoiled beauty. This morning, Lorelei enjoyed her first trip to the shops. Though she’d been out once before in […]
By his own admission, the happiest day of Anakin’s life is finding out that Padmé is pregnant with his first child. Imagine his elation had he known she was carrying twins. In a life punctuated by pain, loss and longing, a moment of pure and perfect happiness is […]
Re-watching The Clone Wars as a father has provided new context for character relationships and the omnipresent threat to the galactic status quo. As well as presenting the eponymous conflict on screen, the animated series also served as prelude to Anakin’s fall to the dark side. In […]
Star Wars is often thought of as the story of fathers and their sons. But as the franchise has developed, father and daughter relationships have become increasingly visible and important. Few of them last, though, and most are mired in heartbreak and tragedy. The trend began with Princess […]
For the first few days of a child’s life, it all feels very much like a collaborative affair. Raising a kid by committee, with the 24-hour midwife assistance, medical staff on hand and regular meals brought to your room. But after both baby Lorelei and mother had been […]
