10 Best Parenting Books For Dads
Updated on: September 2023
Best Parenting Books For Dads in 2023
Be Prepared: Be Prepared
- Mac-Gyver-esque
- how to change a baby at sports stadium
- stay awake (or at least upright) at work
We're Pregnant! The First Time Dad's Pregnancy Handbook
The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be (The New Father)
The Dad's Edge: 9 Simple Ways to Have: Unlimited Patience, Improved Relationships, and Positive Lasting Memories
We're Parents! The New Dad Book for Baby's First Year: Everything You Need to Know to Survive and Thrive Together
Man vs. Child: One DadÂ’s Guide to the Weirdness of Parenting
The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance (Owner's and Instruction Manual)
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year (New Father Series)
First Time Dad: The Stuff You Really Need to Know
My Most Epic Parenting Fails Mothering Young Girls
We mom-bloggers happily share our parenting successes; the failures, not so much. Positivity is good, but readers don't want to hear only triumphs. Acknowledging failure keeps it real and balanced.here are my epic fails specifically parenting daughters.
* Too-rigid modesty expectations: We're old-fashioned. I quit working full-time when kids came. I raised my girls in female roles and my boys, male. I did teach cross-gender jobs. Boys wash dishes, girls mow lawns. I don't apologize for that. But I do regret making my oldest daughter wear only dresses for a few years. Homeschooling, I was in a mom's group of "Bible-says-skirts" mentality. I went along with group-think to fit in, not because I thought dresses prove modesty. I wish I'd trusted my God-given mom judgement.
* Wrong sex messages. The modest-dress issue sends conflicting messages about sex, promiscuity and virtue. Modesty isn't determined so much by how you dress but how you treat others. My forcing dresses translated to: you wearing "inappropriate" clothing tempts boys. If they lust, it's your fault. Wrong! Even at my most rigid, I never believed that. Boys (girls, adults, people) think about sex because we're human. We have to learn to handle feelings appropriately, not blame others for causing them. PBS says that rape is about violence less that lust. I regret any guilt or responsibility I put on my daughter, even inadvertently.
* Letting people bully me. This issue came up time and again. There were parents in groups I belonged to who were opinionated , self-righteous and holier-than-thou. Some were downright bullies. They feigned friendship and then did passive-aggressive things that hurt. I never called them on it which did teach my girls to rise above pettiness. It taught them how to handle people like that (who are everywhere in life). What I regret is the anxiety and self-loathing I brought home and spewed on the family. I finally walked away from the toxic situations but I wish I'd done so before it affected the kids.
* Low self esteem. I once stood against the crowd. Homeschool event planners hadn't let my daughter perform ballet at the talent show, saying some might be "offended." Then at a mom's meeting, a faction began pontificating on how dance and swimming were evil because they showed the body. Ironically, girls playing basketball (and showing skin) was okay. Moms said their girls were "playing for God." I spoke up and praised my beautiful dancer/swimmer daughter and all girls, whatever their hobby. I said we needed to encourage, not fault-find. Some accused me of being too kid-focused and not God-focused. I did lose some friends, but I'm glad I said something. It hurt my children, especially my daughters, to see me ever-emulating moms I didn't agree with just to be accepted. I'm afraid it taught them to do likewise.
