Do what your father says and read this book!  (go ask your mother)
923333
As a father, I couldn't stop reading and excited to discover a new takeaway with every section/chapter.  It's one of the very few books that I have actually copied quotes from!  I highly recommend this book-such a great read!
424312
The advice fathers give to their sons comes in many forms, from clipped, world-weary truisms, to hand-on-shoulder parables. Lessons can be serious and masculine, and they can be laced with the humor of a dad who never quite grew up.

Con Chapmans book Scooter & Skipper Blow Things Up! (HumorOutcasts Press, 2014, 112 pages) is packed with the latter. Whether you are a father or a father-to-be, or a mother or mother-to-be for that matter, this book takes you to the funny side of parenting and keeps you there.
Scooter and Skipper are the generic names Chapman gives to his two sons for the purpose of providing an account of my journey through my sons first childhood as I experience my second.

Heres Chapmans approach to the tricky job of sex education: I keep things cryptic  birds and bees style  because the agreement in our family is that our children will get their sex education only through independent, approved sources, like the third-world kids who received low-cost laptops and promptly put them to use surfing porn sites on the internet.
The title of the book is derived from the threesomes opening adventure. The author describes the project to his local hardware store owner thus:  We need something small, not too expensive, that we can blow up. The device should also make a gigantic boom but is still legal for us to drive around with.

A story about how Chapman singed his hair while working in a Missouri restaurant in the mid-sixties offers a delightful dish of comic insights. For example, it was not Abraham Lincoln or George Washington who coined the well-known phrase different strokes for different folks but another great American: Sly Stone.

Chapmans explanation of the Boston Tea Party surely warrants a re-write of that episode in American history. The boys discover that the perpetrators of this famous fit of pique met in the Green Dragon Tavern beforehand. Youll find as you grow older that when are men on the verge if doing great and serious things, it helps if they drink a lot of beer first, advises their sage father. The revelation that the protesters opened the boxes of tea with hatchets to make sure that the contents were spoiled inspires the important life lesson that if you damage somebodys property, you can usually get away with it if you do it for a political reason.

My favorite chapter is the authors Monty Pythonesque fantasy about taking his sons to the Roman Colosseum to watch a game between the Lions and the Saints. In this hilarious story, Scooter, the older boy, taunts his younger brother that the Saints are going to get killed. Skip, who favors the underdogs, retorts that St. Ignatius of Antioch gained 200 yards last time these two teams met. When the kids want to get autographs their father agrees, but: If a lion grabs your program  let him have it.

A close runner up is the chapter where dad organizes an Algonquin Round Table for his sons and a couple of kids from the neighborhood, complete with soft drinks for cocktails and a kids version of artistic wit.
597450
This is one of the best books I have read all year, and I am a voracious reader.  The character development and dialogue are spot on.  This is billed as a book for teenagers, who I think will love it, so here is my suggestion for parents everywhere:  buy the book for your children, then read it before you give it to them, because you need to get the message, too.  I have one other piece of advice, though.  (I'm 80, so I'm entitled.). Please don't tell your kids they have to read the book, and for heaven's sake, keep your thoughts to yourself until after they've done so.  When they have, you might be blessed with the greatest discussion you've ever had with them.  Then send a huge thank you to Rebekah Crane.
4770283
This is a brilliant book and should be mandatory reading for any parent, not just fathers. As parents, we all have expectations for our children. That's just a natural thing. But the true test of parenting comes when those expectations go astray; and let's be honest: they usually do. When that happens, we learn that some things we thought would be important for our kids just aren't that important. And other things--things that we hadn't even considered when we were setting our expectations--are absolutely essential.

Ron Fournier does a splendid job of relating his experiences and interactions with Tyler, his son with Asperger's. It's so wonderful to accompany Fournier as his approach to fatherhood undergoes a transformation, and as he teaches his son that there's nothing wrong with being different. Believe me, everyone could benefit from reading this book.

Anne Lamott (my favorite author) says that "expectations are resentments under construction," and that couldn't be more true. Ron Fournier's book drives that point home magnificently. It's also a terrific primer on parenting. I especially love the tips Fournier shares in the Epilogue. Among them:

*Don't parent for the future; parent for today
*Guide, don't push
*Don't beat yourself up
*Celebrate all victories
*Make different cool
*Be a spouse first, a parent second
*Fight for your kids

If you have kids, do yourself a favor and read this book. It's a quick read, but one you'll never forget. It also makes a thoughtful gift for any new father (or mother).
3716205
The late Dr Latham has a legacy to be proud of. This wee gem of a book contains essential advice for any parent - it is the manual our kids should have come with. I originally bought Dr Latham's much larger and more comprehensive Postive Parenting, and it made a huge difference in my interactions with my children. I became much less stressed out and more confident. I knew which behavior to safely ignore and I understood the power of parental attention - both postive and negative in shaping my children's behavior.

But - there was a problem remaining - my husband was reluctant to study the text-book sized tome! I tried to explain things to him, but he wasn't convinced by my summary. He had an extremely authoritarian parenting style and he dismissed my explanations as being too soft, or 'letting the kids get away' with stuff. Because I was experiencing success with the children's behavior, My husband accepted that there was something to the method. In many instances he copied my actions but without understanding the underlying principles there were occaisions that ended in tears. So between his unwillingness to study the textbook himself, and dismissal of my explanations, we ended up going in circles with the children being angels for mum and playing up for dad and the divide widening almost daily.

Then I found this wonderful little precis of Dr Latham's work. It is small and concise enough for my husband to open, read a small section, and learn some new technique in a few minutes. It now has pride of place next to the toilet(!) where hubby can upskill himself painlessly and without taking up too much of his precious time. Our whole family has become more relaxed and co-operative, and the children are rebuilding a lovely relationship with their Dad. My husband will always have an authoritarian bent - but he respects the science behind Dr Latham's work and is gradually modifying his own behaviour as he experiences success with the children.

If you buy one parenting book this is the one to choose (especially if one parent is more interested than the other). Understanding the underlying principles of behavior will allow you to adapt them for any situation - as opposed to other parenting advice books which run into series of ten or more books with highly repetitive advice for every situation imagineable.

Postscript: I have seen criticism in other reviews of Dr Latham because he was a Mormon. What bigotted nonsense! He was a highly respected behavioral scientist and his work is based on science not religion. He has written a few books which adapt his science for both Mormon and Christian parents which you are free to buy or not (I did not), and which are clearly promoted as containing religious aspects. But this book, and the larger Positive Parenting, are valuable to parents of any(or no) creed.
1334496
Written with wit and wisdom, Happy Hour with my Dad provides an impeccable guide for those with aging parents.  From dealing with overzealous medical professionals to navigating the overwhelming choices we face when mom or dad can no longer live alone, Jan King gives very sound advice.  Relying on her own experience with her octogenarian father, Jan answers questions we will no doubt all encounter as our parents live out their final days.  Admittedly, she often feels inadequate in this role reversal:  her father now the child and she the parent.  But what she learns as her father makes the transition from independent to assisted living is invaluable to those of us who will go through similar situations.  Happy Hour with My Dad is also a glance into our own futures.  Make sure your kids read it too!
675090
A book every concerned parent should read!!! You should read it to understand what is going on in public schools. Much more, you should read it to understand what's going on in the college education. Your view on the current educational landscape will be radically and forever changed. This book will be a launchpad for you to do further research.
Every American should be thankful that this book is written. If I have enough money I would give every parent a copy of this book. This is simply a must-read. Other books that are in the must-read category are "Dumbing Down Our Kids" by Charles Sykes, "Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong" by William Kilkpatrick, and "Profscam" by Charles Sykes. Books by Samuel L. Blumenfeld are also highy recommended for understanding the current K-12 education ills.
Now a little bit of my personal journey: I first read this book five years ago when my children were in elementary and junior high schools. This book broke all my romanic thoughts about public schools. I verified with my children concerning the things mentioned in the book. My children confirmed that many things said in the book indeed took place in their schools. I was very alarmed at this. Because of this I tranfer all my children to a priavte school. I cannot allow my childern to be damaged psychologically or taught wrongly. My children are my treasure.
Read this book! Protect your chilren. It may be the most important book you read in your life, except the Bible. No book surpass the Bible, for it is the precious word of God!
4478630
Change the way you think! Read this amazing book.
885440
Read this book first!

Out of the hundreds of parenting books out there, choose this one if you are a mother of a daughter.  Sil and Eliza achieve a delicate balance of wisdom and accessibility, in this mother-daughter call to arms... not weapons, but arms to put around each other in order to stay close through these dynamic years.  As a mom of an almost 14 year-old adventurous daughter, I've made it a personal mission to defy the stereotypes that insist the teen years must be terrible, and this book is my companion in that mission.
3679969
This is an amazing book about an amazing father and son. It tells the story of how a loving father learned how to help his autistic son -- and moreover, how his son helped him. The lessons are so global -- for any parent or nonparent (like me). Reading it was fun, fast, and meaningful. Buy and read it. I promise you'll be glad you did.
4075949
Warning to any parents interested in using this book for their child: The Language is VERY frank, there is no beating around the bush, and there is definately no hesitance to use descriptive words when dealing with sexual matters.

This book is just what our generation needs! I was amazed at how, let's just say blunt, the auther was, but also very estatic. Bluntness is what we teens need. A lot of adults don't realize that. I'm glad Shannon Ethridge did!

If it's time for you, as a parent, to have the "talk" with your daughter, I very much suggest using this book. I have told all my distant relations and other men and women that I know, that they NEED to have their daughters read this book! It is a real eye opener, and the best part, if your daughter is struggling with some sort of sexual temptation, this book won't preach at her, only help her overcome her weakness! The book very clearly states, that ALL women face sexual temptation sooner or later, and this book helps teach you the key to overcoming!

I cannot say enough how much this book has helped me, a teenager, alone and I really hope you'll have your daughter read it as well!
955747
My father was an extremely principled, honest man of great integrity. He passed several years ago and I greatly miss our discussions. Dad taught me to be prepared to defend my positions thoroughly and thoughtfully. He believed that if one could be argued away from a position to the point they fell back on personal attack instead of reasoned discourse, that person lost the debate and he lost respect for their opinions.  With that in mind, I know Dad would have been among the first to read Vice President Cheney's book, and we would have had terrific discussions about it. I've read the book in the spirit of those memories, with Dad firmly by my side through each page.

Read the book. Read it with an open mind. Read it without media bias ringing in your ears. Read it without the taint of political propaganda fears in your head and you will read the story of one man who will go down in history as a thoughtful, demanding, insightful, strong individual with firm convictions who was unafraid of standing true to his beliefs.

The book puts many things in perspective that the media and political forces would rather we didn't know and it reminds of things they would rather we forget. Vice President Cheney speaks both from the heart and head on policy disagreements, strategies, allies, enemies, the war on terror, 911, Katrina, Irag, Afghanistan, North Korea, the economy and more. It is both frightening and reassuring.

For me, this was a surprisingly easy to read book about an amazing life well lived by a principled man. Dad would have loved it too.
737182
Here goes:

This is a great book! I started reading the book you and Bonnie wrote and WOW it totally blew me away - resonating with me on many levels.

I thought of all the women relationships in my life and many other people. It literally brought tears. I must now order copies for family,friends. Great idea for "Fathers Day".

A book certainly in time for both women and men, A
prerequisite for any father to be. We live in a culture were it seems we lack good positive strong male role modeling. Reading letters from daughters in this book gives insight to how powerful an influence we have on our daughters and the kind of people they will grow up to be.

As I sat reading I was watching my daughter of 11 years playing by the waters edge. She would look up and smile (still my baby girl). How sweet life can be at times.

Just looking at her in awe and thinking how blessed I am that she chose me as her "father".

Kudos and thanks to all the courageous Daughters who elegantly shared their stores.

I cannot wait to read the next book - Letters from Sons to Fathers.

  Steve Black, Easthampton,Ma.
795910
This book reveals in my case the non trivial experience of being a real dad, a loving, caring, supportive, non-violent dad. Many of my thoughts as a father, my fights, my fears, are incredible clear and brief described by Treion Muller in this book. I thought first: Wow, this guy can read my mind! And second: gosh! I could have being the author! I totally agree with this practical recommendations, tips and the reflections that the reading provoke. They definitely inspire me, in a fresh and often humorous way, to work every day in my father role. The rules apply mostly for the new dad, though every father will get inspiration for inventing rules that apply in each case, no matter if he's a new dad or an experienced grand pa! Besides, in my case as a dad in a mexican-german family I can't find any cultural exceptions. Dad Rules are essential, are profound, are pro fun! Can't wait to read Mom Rules!
1249157
Best Book Ever!!!! For all those giving it a 1 star review...did you even read it??? This book was discovered by my parents while I was still living at home...and now I own a copy and apply it's principles and training wisdom to rearing my own son!! Please, read it for yourself and then make an informed decision about it. May God Bless you for doing so!!!
3501565
Just finished reading Leslie's "Yokohama Yankee" and was truly moved by it. I have to say it's one of the most compelling historical books I've ever read. Congratulations on many thousands of hours of hard work brought to successful fruition.
I appreciated your quote about your father at the end, "One thing Dad taught me was that it's important, above all, to tell the truth as you see it, even if it might make a lot of people uncomfortable." I value that as well, and despite your father's shortcomings, you've received an amazing heritage. Thanks for sharing the story!
23746
The relationship between father and son is, , at best, a healthy challenge.
In Ian Cron's  " Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me," it takes on new meaning.
Ian writes directly from the heart and let's it all hang out.
From his Dad's alcoholism and the impact it  had on his life.
To now, the impact on being a Dad to his own three children.
Challenging. Soul searching. Sensitive.
And beautifully written.
I could not put the book down once I started.
Then, on the next day I read it again!
If you want a book you can really get into-that will get you into the author's
shocking past...and how it transformed his stance to  a loving Dad, this is it.
Buy it!
"Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me,"
You'll be happy with yourself for doing so.
P.S. Ian's debut book, "Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale " is also a "must read."