I haven’t any academic training in the areas of  child psychology or family counseling, but I believe my combined 42+ years of experience raising my own kids, building a relationship with my father, and mentoring at-risk kids is every bit as credible a witness as, e.g., a family counselor with a PhD who has never actually raised a child.

What makes this work different than others in its genre is the bandwidth of my testimony. Being a middle child, military vet, world traveler, husband (and near-divorcee on multiple occasions), father, teen mentor, perpetual student of religion/morality/theology/psychology/sociology/history, musician, writer, athlete, technology professional who rose up through the corporate ranks to senior management with no degree, small business owner, and avid seeker of truth [whew! what a nut!] makes for a colorful perspective–albeit one I do not find present in the majority of self-help books I pick up.

Those things said, I should be clear: The book does not in any way signify my mastery of fatherhood. I haven’t any delusions about my track record as a father. I’m certain there are hundreds upon thousands of fathers who are far more effective leaders than I (and in that spirit I have interviewed some of them, and share their insights as frequently as possible). I’m also certain there are one or two teachers my kids have encountered along the way who would quip, “That guy is writing a book? On what? What NOT to do?”  And to those teachers I would reply unequivocally: YES.

Prima facie my shortcomings as a father may seem like potential chinks in my credential, but I see them as valuable assets. After all, this is essentially a handbook of lessons intended to shine the light on potential traps and snares for fathers.I am writing from the same perspective of, e.g., a seasoned hostage negotiator who might write a book called, “What Not to Do in Hostage Situations– by an experienced hostage negotiator.” I think it safe to say any serious hostage negotiator aspirant would grab that book before any others. I know I would. And on that exact presumptive hope I embarked on this project.

To be sure, I’m not writing the book to showcase my parenting prowess; I’m writing it to share a continuum of ideals based on my experiences, education and observations. This is why I treat my wounds with as much importance as I do my victories. Combined, the two constitute the overall richness of experience I have to offer.

In addition to the anecdotal lesson-based nature of the book, it also offers a no frills criticism of current gaps in child development at home—gaps  I believe have severely deteriorated the quality of art in America,  encouraged and even promoted boundless free thinking over morality and ethics, and diluted American tradition to the point of discarded antiquity. How’s that for a hot bowl of  beef stew on a freezing day?

While the book is peppered with my signature hyperbole to keep the material engaging, overall it adheres to the principle of substance over style. This is demonstrated in the structure of its three main sections of which I write:

“I believe there are three essential phases of parenthood, in this order: 1) Nurturing/providing; 2) Educating/developing; 3) Coaching/supporting.  Number one is the easiest. Two requires at least basic leadership and ethics training. Three requires all of the above and an enormous helping of wisdom (wisdom preferably rife with cultural literacy).”

If you’re interested, this book will be available via Amazon and iTunes soon. I will post a message here when it is available for purchase. I’m very excited about this project, and sincerely hope this work will make a positive difference in the lives of those who will read it, and those who are counting on them to help navigate, contribute to and prosper in  this increasingly complex and demanding world we live in.

He has a point. Kind of. While I agree texting while driving is dangerous for those who lack good judgment (which appears to be about 15% of the population, according to my friend, Jeff), I question the value of this legislation considering California’s ridiculously cavalier treatment of reckless drivers.

If we are going to start banning people for being irresponsible while at the wheel, I propose we add the following offenses to the good senator’s Texting While Driving (“TWD”) new bill:

• SWD – Spanking kid While Driving
• MWD- Applying Makeup While Driving
• EWD- Eating while driving (In and Out drive thru: “will you be eating in your car?”)
• RWD-Reading while driving
• WWD- Working while driving (using cell phone speaker, but taking notes on steering wheel)
• OMWD- Off meds while driving
• WMWD – Watching movies while driving (in dash screens are easily hacked to play movies)
• BSWD- Being senile while driving (an oldie but a goody)
• SWD- Shooting while driving (check youtube.com for all kinds of amazing behind-the-wheel videos)
• IWD- Ipod’ing while driving (I see more people playing with their ipods than texting)
• PWD- Programming while driving (nav screens are easily hack to function while vehicle is moving)
• AWD-Angry while driving

Personally senator, I find it “hard to believe anyone would attempt” to do ANY of these things while driving.

But seriously, here. Come on senator, if you REALLY care about our safety so much, how about going all the way with a comprehensive bill that penalizes DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL/DRUGS and STREET RACING and RECKLESS DRIVING as true felony crimes? After all, aren’t THESE the people who are the biggest threat to our safety and quality of life?

Here is what I propose:

• First DUI/Reckless/Street Racer offense: $20,000 fine, mandatory Community Service assisting paraplegics, 3 year driver’s license suspension. Fine payable at prime rate plus 1.5% over 5, 10, or 20 years
• Second DUI/Reckless/Street Racer offense: $40,000 fine, mandatory 1 year house arrest, 5 year driver’s license suspension. Fine payable at prime rate plus 1.5% over 5, 10, or 20 years.
• Third DUI/Reckless/Street Racer offense: $100,000 fine, 3 years house arrest, 8 year driver’s license suspension. Fine payable at prime rate plus 1.5% over 5, 10, or 30 years.

You ready to get serious about our safety, senator? We are.

-Joe

Updated: 11:54am PST