This volume meets a strong need as today's men wrestle with the demands of fatherhood in a society of self-centeredness and instant everything. Hansel clears away the myths of fatherhood and offers solid answers to becoming the kind of dad children really need.
“God, please help me...another game of Candy Land...” Quite a few dads spend time with their kids. However, many have no clue what their kids really need. Enter author Jay Payleitner, veteran dad of five, who’s also struggled with how to build up his children’s lives. His 52 Things Kids Need from a Dad combines straightforward features with step-up-to-the-mark challenges men will appreciate: a full year’s worth of focused, doable ideas—one per week, if desired uncomplicated ways to be an example, like “kiss your wife in the kitchen” tough, frank advice, like “throw away your porn” And, refreshingly... NO exhaustive (and exhausting) lists of “things you should do” NO criticism of dads for being men and acting like men Dads will feel respected and empowered, and gain confidence to initiate activities that build lifelong positives into their kids. Great gift or men’s group resource!
Across the political spectrum, unwed fatherhood is denounced as one of the leading social problems of today. Doing the Best I Can is a strikingly rich, paradigm-shifting look at fatherhood among inner-city men often dismissed as “deadbeat dads.” Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson examine how couples in challenging straits come together and get pregnant so quickly—without planning. The authors chronicle the high hopes for forging lasting family bonds that pregnancy inspires, and pinpoint the fatal flaws that often lead to the relationship’s demise. They offer keen insight into a radical redefinition of family life where the father-child bond is central and parental ties are peripheral. Drawing on years of fieldwork, Doing the Best I Can shows how mammoth economic and cultural changes have transformed the meaning of fatherhood among the urban poor. Intimate interviews with more than 100 fathers make real the significant obstacles faced by low-income men at every step in the familial process: from the difficulties of romantic relationships, to decision-making dilemmas at conception, to the often celebratory moment of birth, and finally to the hardships that accompany the early years of the child's life, and beyond.
Scot Anderson talks to dads on how to be more than a provider and a protector, but how to be a father. Becoming a good father is not automatic, it also isn't a gift that some have and some don't. You learn how to be a father from your father or lack of a father. Like it or not you will develop the same type of relationship with your children that your father has with you. The only way to break this is to get the truth inside of you on how to be a great father.
Dad, you love your kids to pieces. But whether it’s father-son or father-daughter, how to talk to them—and about what—can be one of the big mysteries in raising children. Bestselling author and veteran dad Jay Payleitner comes to the rescue with a carload of great ideas about communicating those all-important life values to your kids to help them thrive. Good news is, you don’t have to use a lot of words as you plant healthy thoughts about... Excellence: how your kids can hit home runs in life Emotions: experiencing and handling them as God’s gift Integrity: being true to something beyond themselves Marriage: focusing on the positives, not the weeds, thorns, and crabgrass Immortality: living life as a friend of the One who’s eternal Jay’s straightforward, man-friendly advice and stories form a terrific, confidence-boosting resource for building lifelong positives into your family. Raising children just got easier! Great gift or men’s group selection.
Curious minds are rewarded with curious answers in a fantastical bedtime book by Mac Barnett and Isabelle Arsenault. Why is the ocean blue? What is the rain? What happened to the dinosaurs? It might be time for bed, but one child is too full of questions about the world to go to sleep just yet. Little ones and their parents will be charmed and delighted as a patient father offers up increasingly creative responses to his child’s nighttime wonderings. Any child who has ever asked “Why?” — and any parent who has attempted an explanation — will recognize themselves in this sweet storybook for dreamers who are looking for answers beyond “Just because.”
As a dad, you are the most important man in your children's lives! You are your son's first hero and your daughter's first romance. The impact you have on them as their dad will last a lifetime. I's a challenging time in history to be a father. The quality of what we bring as fathers is grounded in who we are as men; yet the role of men and the definition of masculinity has never been so unclear. Dad addresses this challenge directly. It speaks to the hearts of men, bringing wisdom and clarity to what it means to be a man and out of that, a great father. Well researched and filled with personal stories, quotes and anecdotes, many from the author's own fatherhood journey, DAD is both practical and inspiring. You will discover: - What authentic manhood and fatherhood look like - The different needs boys and girls have of their fathers - The twelve fatherhood principles every dad needs to know - How to balance discipline and affirmation - How to grow your child's emotional intelligence - How to protect your children in a complex world - How to deal with any issues you had with your own father - How to set your child up for success in life Filled with relevance and rich, real life experiences, DAD will move you, entertain you and equip you with invaluable tools to father your children through every stage of your relationship with them. DAD is also available as an online course and can be found at www.thedadbook.co.za "Clearly a man who is passionate about being a father, who loves his children and who is on a mission to share these fundamental lessons with men all over the world. This is definitely one of the best "being a great dad" books I have read." - Dr Lehan Stemmet, Associate Dean at MIT, New Zealand "Craig has tons of stories and practical tips to assist you to be better at what will be your most important job on this planet. This book should be a school textbook! A must read!" - Dr Grant Fourie, Founder of BetyaLife "As an avid reader, and social scientist, I generally read beyond content; Wilkinson does a wonderful job of jointly knitting personal experience with his own children with the clear message that there are no perfect fathers. It is refreshing to accept being human; flawed, challenged, and in need of consistent supervision. I am not a father yet, but this book solidified and validated my obsessive approach towards the all-important role of fatherhood. A great read, and filled with wonderful anecdotes that make you laugh, think, and cry." - Dr Khozhi Makai, Author, Social Scientist, Motivational Coach, Founding CEO of Kozhi Makai Worldwide About the Author: Craig Wilkinson is a bestselling South African author, sought-after speaker and consultant who is passionate about equipping men to be great fathers and leaders. He is the founder of Father A Nation (FAN), a Non-Profit organisation that works with men throughout South Africa. He believes that if we can heal men, we can heal the world. An avid hiker, mountain biker and nature lover, Craig lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with his wife Martinique. His two adult children, Luke and Blythe, have both recently left the nest.
A joyful board book about family love from the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie! Big or small, Furry or not, Here or there, Inside or out, Everyone hugs all over the world. With its loving, simple text and bold, beautiful artwork, this is a perfect board book for baby showers, first birthdays, or a baby's first first holidays. And it's not just about hugging! Little ones can learn about opposites and about animals and their habitats in this story too. Mega-selling author and artist Felicia Bond has crafted a charming book filled with animals hugging across the globe that celebrates the universality of love.
Jim Gaffigan never imagined he would have his own kids. Though he grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family, Jim was satisfied with the nomadic, nocturnal life of a standup comedian, and was content to be "that weird uncle who lives in an apartment by himself in New York that everyone in the family speculates about." But all that changed when he married and found out his wife, Jeannie "is someone who gets pregnant looking at babies." Five kids later, the comedian whose riffs on everything from Hot Pockets to Jesus have scored millions of hits on YouTube, started to tweet about the mistakes and victories of his life as a dad. Those tweets struck such a chord that he soon passed the million followers mark. But it turns out 140 characters are not enough to express all the joys and horrors of life with five kids, so he's now sharing it all in Dad Is Fat. From new parents to empty nesters to Jim's twenty-something fans, everyone will recognize their own families in these hilarious takes on everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to growing up in a big family ("I always assumed my father had six children so he could have a sufficient lawn crew") to changing diapers in the middle of the night ("like The Hurt Locker but much more dangerous") to bedtime (aka "Negotiating with Terrorists"). Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home.
A thoughtful and "utterly mind-blowing" exploration of fatherhood and masculinity in the 21st century (New York Times). There are hundreds of books on parenting, and with good reason—becoming a parent is scary, difficult, and life-changing. But when it comes to books about parenting identity, rather than the nuts and bolts of raising children, nearly all are about what it's like to be a mother. Drawing on research in sociology, economics, philosophy, gender studies, and the author's own experiences, Father Figure sets out to fill that gap. It's an exploration of the psychology of fatherhood from an archetypal perspective as well as a cultural history that challenges familiar assumptions about the origins of so-called traditional parenting roles. What paradoxes and contradictions are inherent in our common understanding of dads? Might it be time to rethink some aspects of fatherhood? Gender norms are changing, and old economic models are facing disruption. As a result, parenthood and family life are undergoing an existential transformation. And yet, the narratives and images of dads available to us are wholly inadequate for this transition. Victorian and Industrial Age tropes about fathers not only dominate the media, but also contour most people's lived experience. Father Figure offers a badly needed update to our collective understanding of fatherhood—and masculinity in general. It teaches dads how to embrace the joys of fathering while guiding them toward an image of manliness for the modern world.