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In The Beginning...There Were No Diapers: Laughing and Learning In The First Years Of Fatherhood
 
 
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In The Beginning...There Were No Diapers: Laughing and Learning In The First Years Of Fatherhood (Paperback)

~ Tim Bete (Author) "When our daughter Anna Maria was born, she slept a lot-except when we wanted her to sleep..." (more)
Key Phrases: fertility police, botta bing, squid chips, Tooth Fairy, Other Miracles of the Night, Other Miraculous Ways (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
Price: $12.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...In the Beginning... is the best clean, down to earth and funniest book I've read in years." -- Jodie Lynn, syndicated parenting columnist and author of Mommy-CEO

"A must-read for any new parent..." -- Tom Allen, Editor-in-Chief, CatholicExchange.com

"Hilariously funny...Tim Bete’s humor will knock the socks right off your feet!" -- Dorothy Thompson, editor, The Writer’s Life Reviews

"Outside the major syndicates, possible Barry replacements include Bete..." -- Editor & Publisher magazine, commenting on a possible replacement for Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Dave Barry; Nov. 29, 2004

"When ranking miracles, Tim Bete puts potty training right up there with...the parting of the Red Sea." -- Laura Dempsey, Dayton Daily News, January 16, 2005

Product Details

  • Paperback: 189 pages
  • Publisher: Sorin Books (April 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1893732878
  • ISBN-13: 978-1893732872
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #797,083 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Timothy P. Bete
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
When our daughter Anna Maria was born, she slept a lot-except when we wanted her to sleep. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
fertility police, botta bing, squid chips, airplane restroom, gray socks, gopher wood
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Tooth Fairy, Other Miracles of the Night, Other Miraculous Ways, Taco Bell, Ten Commandments, Hush Little Baby, Planet of the Apes, Two Heads, Ark Depot, Christmas Eve, Home Depot, New American Dream, Thomas the Tank Engine, Ton Commandments Plus
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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Good, clean fun and a whole lot of love, February 2, 2005
In the Beginning...There Were No Diapers: Laughing and Learning in the First Years of Fatherhood by Tim Bete is one of the most delightful parenting humor books I have ever read. Having grown up reading Erma Bombeck, I have read the funniest and the finest in my day. Tim Bete's humor, laced with a God-based perspective, anchors his stories in every day life in a way Erma Bombeck never did. It makes his writing unique and honest -- a cut above the rest.

His wild imagination combined with a nurturing sensitivity towards his progeny makes this quick and fun read very enjoyable. One of my favorite lines comes from his imaginary tale of his home life played out as a movie:

"There is only one human being in sight. Except for the tormented look on her face, she looks vaguely familiar - almost wife-like. She sits mute on the couch with her head in her hands. I ask her how her day was. She glares." As a writer and stay-at-home mom, I laughed for ten minutes straight. See, see! Some men do see their wives the way we see ourselves.

From thinking his children are monkeys taking over the Earth to marveling at his son's recycling ability, Bete offers his readers a much-needed break from the mundane, turning our very lives into miracles, too. Thank you, Mr. Bete, for the reminder that God is with us, even when (or maybe because?) there are graham cracker crumbs in our pockets.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, American expat author of Diary of a Mother (2003) and SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom (May 2005), resides with her family near Munich, Germany. http://www.diaryofamother.com
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars BEYOND HILARIOUS -- BOTTA BING, BOTTA BOOM!, October 12, 2005
This book is funny; I mean REALLY funny. Tim Bete is the Dave Barry for parents of young kids, so if you like to laugh, then you'll love reading this one.

In fact, my family could tell whenever I was reading it because they'd hear my annoying, "HA! HA! HA!" from every room of the house. I couldn't put it down because it felt so good to laugh. I've decided it's a much easier route to six-pack abs than sit-ups. Just read this book and you'll get a major abdominal workout!

IN THE BEGINNING...THERE WERE NO DIAPERS is divided into 19 short chapters that each focus on one area of parenting young children. With titles such as, "The Miraculous World of Potty Training," "Five Loaves, Two Fish -- What, No Tarter Sauce?" and "Daddy's NOT going to Buy You a Mockingbird," you can get an idea of how funny Bete is.

Laughter is important for stressed-out parents. We may feel like we're the only one dealing with certain behavior issues -- single parents, especially, may have no one who can share the burden. But a book like this one helps fill in the gaps.

This would make a great gift for any Dad - but I know moms will love it too. Bete lets you peek into his house and show you how he turns those moments of "Uh-oh" (the tooth fairy forgot to visit...) into moments of "Ah-ha! Close your eyes and she'll leave you a surprise" (It may even be money...or other unknown contents from a rapidly emptied pocket!)

I can't tell you how hard I laughed when Tim described what it's like to change a baby's diaper in an airplane bathroom. Yes, I've done it! Most parents can relate to the strange places you're forced to do such a chore.

And how insane we feel when we have to read the same book over and over (AND OVER) again. "I tried sliding it under a chair cushion," he writes about his son wanting to hear The Lion King every time his wife had a prenatal visit. "But no matter where I hid it, it always appeared at the top of the book pile at our next visit." To this day, "Hakuna Matata" sends shivers up his spine "as if I heard the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard."

If you're a group leader for any kind of parent organization, this book would be great to have for a break-the-ice reading or gift for new members. You'll unite every listener who has been there, done that...or is in the midst of being there, doing that.

Although each chapter focuses on a modern parenting miracle, the biggest miracle of all will be how you can put this book down!

--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester for Mind & Media
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Hilarious, Laugh Out Loud, Good For The Spirit, May 4, 2005
I am the owner of Http://www.ArmyWifeTalkRadio.com. I found Mr. Bete through my parenting expert Jodie Lynn. His publisher sent me this book, though after reading it I have purchased five more copies for my family and friends. My husband is away in Iraq, for OIF III. I will be sending him a copy too. I don't get much time for myself so doing research on having someone on the show is sometimes tedious. This research however, was not. I laughed out loud! I had to call my mom and share some of his writing. I am looking forward to tonight when I get to pick up and read from Chapter 5! I can't thank you enough Tim! I needed that laugh, and so do my listeners. I cannot WAIT to have you on the show!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars You will laugh out loud. Don't drink milk while reading this.
I had the great pleasure of working with Tim for 4 or 5 years. Tim has one of the best sense of humors (senses of humor?) of anyone I know. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Carl Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing out Loud
Lots of books say that they are "laugh out loud" funny, but this one actually had me laughing so hard that I had to put the book down to catch my breath.
Published on January 16, 2007 by Jessica M. Hyland

5.0 out of 5 stars Children are priceless miracles
Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (1/6)

If you are a parent, grandparent or anyone who has spent any amount of time with young children, you will enjoy this... Read more
Published on February 1, 2006 by Reader Views

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious parenting book
I generally cringe whenever I come across a new book offering guidance to dads, because they are almost inevitably SUPPOSED to be funny but AREN'T funny. Read more
Published on January 27, 2006 by Tim Brandhorst

5.0 out of 5 stars Parenting With Humor & So Much More--
For the men in your life...IN THE BEGINNING is the perfect Dad Manual, with testerone-based POV on the tragedies and triumphs of parenting, with humor -- and inspiration, too... Read more
Published on December 14, 2005 by Sherri Caldwell

3.0 out of 5 stars A warm-hearted book from a likeable guy
Tim Bete's In the Beginning...There Were No Diapers is based on the author's syndicated column "Where I Live," which appears in the Christian Science Monitor, among other places... Read more
Published on December 11, 2005 by Debra Hamel

5.0 out of 5 stars Read Aloud Funny
Five pages into this book, I put it down, looked over at my wife, and said, "When I finish this book, you HAVE to read it. Read more
Published on October 28, 2005 by Warren Kelly

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!
In The Beginning ... There Were No Diapers was written by author Tim Bete. It chronicles the first years of fatherhood with humor and an eye for the smaller miracles of life that... Read more
Published on October 4, 2005 by Angel

5.0 out of 5 stars Lighthearted and Real
The Birth to Five Book: Confident Childrearing Right from the Start


Tim Bete's "In The Beginning..." is heavy on humor and light on lessons. Read more
Published on September 25, 2005 by Brenda Nixon

5.0 out of 5 stars From beginning to end - laughter and love
Tim Bete has penned, not just a humorous, but a laugh out loud firsthand account of the foibles and fun of fatherhood. Each chapter of In The Beginning... Read more
Published on September 11, 2005 by Donna J. Shepherd

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