Currently reading: Last Days of the Concorde: The Crash of Flight 4590 and the End of Supersonic Passenger Travel by Samme Chittum 📚

Currently reading: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis 📚

This is the third book that I’ve read by Meg Meeker this year. I guess my parenting game is getting pretty strong. While her book on raising boys let me down, Hero delivered.

Meeker shares her best advice and insights with fathers who are looking for their place in their families. Through her 30 years of clinical experience, Dr. Meeker has a unique perspective on the importance of fatherhood. In this book, she encourages fathers to break out of the societal expectations and be an active, engaged, and affectionate father.

Per her style, sprinkled throughout the book are plenty of clinical examples. Kids who were out of control, only to be soothed by their fathers. Fathers who were confused by their children’s anger, only to understand that the child wasn’t angry, just confused and struggling to cope. She highlights some of the NFL players she’s worked with and their positive experiences of fatherhood. Meeker illustrates how badly kids need their dad, and what happens when he’s gone.

The book is written to a wide audience. We all approach fatherhood from a starting point of our relationship with our own fathers. There were many areas of advice that struck me as odd, such as not calling your wife a slut. But, that’s the world that we live in. Above all, Meeker emphasizes building an atmosphere of mutual respect and love.

We have the care of the next generation in our charge. If you doubt your abilities or wonder how qualified you are to serve in the important role of father, you’re in good company. This book will give you some practical tools to help you succeed.

Would I recommend: YES

ISBN: 978-1621575023

Finished reading: Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need by Meg Meeker, MD 📚

Currently reading: Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need by Meg Meeker, MD 📚

One of the many benefits that comes with adding a brief review of each book that I finish is that, while I read, I start to formulate my conclusions. I consider how the book impacts me and engage more with the content. I picked up The Read-Aloud Family on Apple Books during one of their regular sales. I like how Apple randomizes the sales, and runs them all of the time, because it exposes me to a wider library.

I have three young children, and I already had a concept that reading to them was important for their future success. I’ve shared about my own experience growing up, and the regular reading time we had in our household. Since finishing my formal education, it’s only been since last year that I’ve been attentive to cultivating my own reading habit. I do love reading, and it’s a love that I want to share with my kids.

Sarah Mackenzie shares this book as a follow-up to a book with a similar title written years ago by a different author. As a new mom many years ago, she happened upon the book which outlined, in depth, the importance of reading to children. Beyond just their intellectual development, reading to children presents a perfect opportunity to build relationships, create a shared language, spend quality time together, and help a child to understand who they are.

I found Mackenzie’s book to be well written, thoughtful, personal, and helpful. Although I suspect she wrote it with an audience of mothers in mind, she did a wonderful job of writing broadly enough that I didn’t feel excluded. She spoke of universal parental desires, instead of only mother-specific instincts and emotion. In doing so, her message was more impactful.

I’ve started reading to my children during the day apart from the brief story or two before bedtime. They move and fidget and walk around. Even here, Mackenzie laid out research that demonstrates that my kids aren’t bored or ignoring the story, but are rather engaging it more fully.

Part science, part experience, this book fulfills its promise. I’m fully convinced that taking time each day to read with my children, regardless of their age or reading level, is an important component of our shared family life.

Would I recommend: YES

ISBN: 978-1451608274

Finished reading: The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie 📚