Father for Life: A Journey of Joy, Challenge, and Change (New Father) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brott writes honestly and earnestly. His wry sense of humor will be a relief to hassled parents...." -- Time magazine

Product Description

The essential guide for every dad by the bestselling author of Expectant Father and the New Father series, Father for Life is the first book to look at the phases of fatherhood from the conception of a child through the grandfather years. While there have been many books about child development and motherhood, precious little has been written about how fathers change and develop as parents or about how children influence their fathers' development. Yet most fathers know that a man who's just found out that his wife is expecting is a very different kind of man from the one he'll be when he holds his newborn in his arms for the first time. And that same dad will have changed again--psychologically and emotionally--by the time his baby speaks for the first time. Fathers evolve and develop throughout every stage of their children's lives--from the preschool and elementary school years through the tumultuous teens, young adulthood, middle age, grandfather years, and beyond. But no matter what the child's age, a father is always a father.

In this ground-breaking book, Armin Brott presents the stages of fatherhood with the same thoroughness, accessibility, and humor that have made his critically acclaimed books the most popular fatherhood guides in the country. He offers a wealth of information and practical tips, incorporating the wisdom of experts, studies about parental development, and his own extensive interviews with hundreds of fathers. Because fatherhood is a progression, the chapters are organized chronologically and describe a father's physical and emotional growth, how he influences a child at every age, and how a child impacts a father's evolution in turn. Brott covers everything from such general issues as how to juggle work and family roles, how to affect the kind of person your child becomes, and when to encourage his individuality and independence to such specific topics as how to get to know your baby, what to do if your teen uses drugs, and how to cope when adult children return home.

Illustrated throughout with New Yorker-style cartoons that underscore the universality of the joys and woes of parenting, Father for Life is brimming with insights and advice, and is an indispensable, lifelong guide--not only for every dad, but for every mom and child as well.

Other details: 40 black-and-white illustrations

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789207842
• ISBN-13: 978-0789207845
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #631,383 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much of an overview, July 22, 2004

By	Juan C Villamil (Bogota, Colombia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I saw a couple of reviews on this book, in a newspaper in Mexico City, and decided to pick up a copy because both reviews were very positive. Besides, I recently became a father so this could be helpful.

In general, the book is enjoyable to read but it has one shortcoming in my opinion.

As a father of a one year old boy, I thoroughly enjoyed the pertinent chapters and could relate to what I read. The other chapters (puberty, teens, leaving home.....) were not very interesting, for me at least.

I now think that if you want to read about being a father, you should look for a book dedicated to fathers with kids the age of yours. In other words, the book is way too ambitious.

It has to be very difficult to describe what it is to be a father, of children of absolutely any age, and have people relate to the reading.

The book makes a few good points about kids the same age as mine and I enjoyed it, but it tries to summarize too much in just a few pages.

Still, an OK book.