Customer Reviews

How Tough Could It Be?: The Trials and Errors of a Sportswriter Turned Stay-at-Home Dad

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I zipped through this book in just two days because I just had to see if he figured it out! He did and all I could think was, my husband must read this book!

I laughed throughout the whole book, his perceptions on stay-at-home parenthood and his easy writing style made for a great read.

As a stay-at-home mom, I appreciated knowing that there was at least one other person in the world who couldn't quite fall in love with house-cleaning and laundry, even though they're high on our "job description" list.

Now I want to read his Sports Illustrated articles..if I can find time between the laundry and the dinner-making!

I LOVED this book and have given it to many as a baby gift or just because gift. It really helped me see that I was over achieving in the household and my husband was underachieving. After we both read this book, we had a heart to heart that was much lighter and productive than the vent session I'd rehearsed for weeks prior. It really helped me lighten up and helped my husband see he needed to step up to the plate. Highly recommend.

This sounded pretty predictable and I expected sitcom humor, maybe a few laughs but familiar ones. But Murphy (whose work you may know from SI) is much better than that. He's wry without being too sarcastic, and he's never mean-spirited. He's a likeable narrator and this is a surprisingly sharp and funny book. A great father's day gift.

This was very gratifying to read. I'm a SAHM with 3 young children who ran out and bought the book after reading the funny excerpt in People Magazine. So insightful and entertaining. I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time.

Beautifully written and laugh out loud funny at the same time. I'm going to get this book for friends and family. (No, I'm not being paid by the author, I'm not related to him, and, in fact, I don't know him at all - except from the book)

This is a writer who decides to stay home for 6 months with the kids - I think just for the purpose of writing a book and making money. If he really wanted to "be there" for his kids, why didn't he scale back on his career long-term?

There are a couple of funny moments in the book, but nothing all that interesting.

I just couldn't get past the fact that this guy is a professional writer, as is his wife, who thought he might be able to sell some books on this unique subject. It honestly distracted me throughout the entire reading. His was an interesting experiment of a man working around the house for a few months. But hey let's face it, he is now back to his high-profile career of sports writing after having finished with this low profile writing project. Rent the movie "Mr. Mom," it's better.

This is one of those books that you tell all your friends about. Two things stand out for me: the absolutely manic laughter it elicited and the benefit it gave me.

Murphy's writing style perfectly juxtaposes bawdy humor with an obvious intelligence; and when in doubt, he goes for the laugh. I laughed so hard at this thing that a couple of times it gave me an asthma attack. I think it helps if you have kids, and you recognize how ugly parenting can get.

But there is also a deeper benefit. Like the author, I finished the book with a better "vision," a clearer sense of just how hard, how maddening, and how unending the daily life of a woman is. I think I'm a better husband having read it.

I had purchased this book with eager anticipation. I too am a stay at home dad. There are a few humorous moments but on the whole this fellow is a brainless, selfish twit and his wife sounds like a complete ice queen. They both come across as incredibly selfish people. They are not a team, they don't work as a family. "It's all about me "is the central message in this book. Their kids are complete undisciplined brats- courtesy of the parents. How they stay married is a mystery.

sadly... not worth your time although there were moments when it was a fun read. But not many.

I thought this book would be a fun read since I'm a stay-at-home mom with the laziest husband ever. Though the book was a fast read and did make me smile, wasn't what I expected. First off, the author has older kids, 8 and 6 I believe. Just TRY and let a man take over the household for 6 months with a toddler and baby...it'd never happen which is why this guy waited until the kids were older to "experiment" with staying home. The guy did have a tough time volunteering at his kids' school and was really involved but he wasn't HOME like many stay-at-home moms all day. Both he and his wife write for a living so they write articles from home for magazines. I give the author credit though, more than most men wouldn't give two hoots if his wife had special dietary concerns or listen to his wife's tips and suggestions. He's honest but he's putting an effort. Granted he sees the light at the end of the tunnel (which he mentions during a discussion with his wife) so I'm sure it makes it easier to deal for 6 months. It's a decent read but hopefully you'll get it cheap.