In first-person prose, the author provides more than 12 essential lessons about life that were taught to him by his children, and the moments, as when he said goodbye to his own father for the last time, that transcend all others.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
The Father's Guide to the Meaning of Life What Being a Dad Has Taught Me about Hope, Love, Patience, Pride, and Everyday Wonder
On Perfection "The best dads are the ones who aren't afraid to screw up in front of their kids. They're the ones who drop an occasional fly ball and laugh, who burn a meal and then treat everyone to dinner, who call a repairman to fix what they couldn't, who finish second (or last) with no regrets. These guys make such good fathers because they're so real. If you're not perfect, your children never feel they have to be."
On the Need for Play "Play is instinctual. You see it in cubs; you see it in kids. Give a child an interesting object, and it follows as naturally as giggles from a tickle. It is how we learn, how we explore, how we first open our minds. And when we stumble across it as adults, part of us remembers this and prepares to grow again. The older we get, the more exciting that possibility is."
On Love "A good test for love is if it can thrive amidst the mundane, whether you can find as much shared satisfaction in living the everyday as you can the extraordinary. If so, then it's true. Remember this: Life is largely routine, and love must carry on in these times, too."
On Knowledge "A child's inclination is to question the world, and a father's duty is to supply as many answers as he can. The important thing to remember is that even if you don't know the explanation, your kid thinks you do. Don't let him down."
On Bedtime "No time is more special between father and child than the few minutes just before bed. Whether they're 15 months or 15 years, they are the warmest, kindest, and most appreciative of beings during that brief period. Use this opportunity for whatever you like: a bedtime story, a prayer, a discussion. It doesn't really matter. The important thing is your being there, your giving them your full attention for perhaps the first time that day."
From the Back Cover
"Most parents look at raising children as a top-down process. The father, the mother, the schools, the son, the daughter. And the product, after many years of shaping, is a polished young adult. But suppose we turn this process upside-down? Suppose we decide to let this baby girl or boy, this already perfect being, raise us? As we help them grow up, so they will help us mature. As we teach them the rules of life, so they will show us its deeper meaning."
In The Father's Guide to the Meaning of Life, author Joe Kita reveals the life lessons that can be learned from being a dad--powerful lessons that apply to all of us, no matter what stage of life we are in. Kita focuses on 15 essential truths about friendship, trust, wonder, play, even death--truths that otherwise would have remained secret to him if not for his kids. In a manly voice that is both wickedly funny and startlingly honest, Kita talks of the essential traits of a good dad and how he has grown, both emotionally and intellectually, as a result of the challenges his kids have presented. Further, he talks about the transcendent moments, as when he said goodbye to his father for the last time, that change us most deeply. The Father's Guide to the Meaning of Life is one in a series of Daybreak books that provide life lessons and spiritual perspectives from the vantage point of different occupations and passions.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What ""A Father's Guide"" Taught This Mother of Three,
This review is from: The Father's Guide to the Meaning of Life: What Being a Dad Has Taught Me About Hope, Love, Patience, Pride, and Everyday Wonder (Hardcover)
I bought this book for Father's Day for my dad. Needless to say I couldn't put it down. It is insightful, indearing, and helped me to see things from my dad's or any father's point of view. I learned things that I've always wanted to know about my dad. Like how although men like to show they're tough, a child brings out feelings and wonder that they never knew was inside of them. The story of the secret handshake was the best, now my daughter and I have one, thanks to the author. I highly recommend this book for any father or parent. It awakened my soul to the wonderment of parenthood and childhood. Thank You Joe Kita...I learned so much.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great companion to Kita's Wisdom of our Fathers,
By D. Hanselman "philosophy student" (Finger Lakes, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Father's Guide to the Meaning of Life: What Being a Dad Has Taught Me About Hope, Love, Patience, Pride, and Everyday Wonder (Hardcover)
Father's Guide and Wisdom of our Fathers really should've been one book. That being said, together I'm finding them excellent guides to the joys and heartaches (and everything in between)that I've already been through and expect to experience as a father. My daughter's almost 14 months now and we're expecting #2 and already I've faced quite a few of the hopes and fears Kita talks about. It's nice to know I'm not alone! Father's Guide is much more personal than Wisdom of our Fathers, sometimes painfully so (I'm still not sure I needed to know his son was born w/ 6 fingers...), but that just makes it seem like you're there chatting w/ Kita - having a beer and talking about your kids. I can't say I really learned anything new from Father's Guide or that I'd make some of the same decisions Kita makes, but, as someone who takes their job as a father seriously, it's been invaluable and enjoyable to see what he has to say. If you want to learn something, then I'd recommend Wisdom of our Fathers, it's filled w/ stories and quotes that come closer to being "lessons". But, if you just want to feel like you're chatting with a buddy, and I don't know anyone who doesn't need that from time to time, this is an excellent choice.
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