The Seasons Of Fatherhood

Life comes in seasons. In every season, dad matters. Each season of fatherhood has a different role for dads. In The Seasons of Fatherhood, we will explore some key practices to help us succeed in our role for that season. The lessons in this book are what God has been teaching me about fathering four remarkable people.

This highly personal book gives encouragement to dads and sons by reminding them that they need each other. Written by award-winning author Bob Welch, excerpts of this book have appeared in Focus on the Family and Reader's Digest magazines.

Reminiscent of Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes and James Dodson's Final Rounds, First and Last Seasons is not only a courageously confessional memoir but a work of resounding originality-a Rust Belt requiem for a father written by the black sheep son he leaves behind. Dan McGraw did not plan to go home to help his father die. To the thirty-nine-year-old Texas-based senior editor for "U.S. News & World Report, Cleveland, Ohio, was a million miles away. Dan was the prodigal middle son within a large Irish-Catholic family, and life never really got going until he was far away from the city and his dominant father, Richard. But the gravitational pull of his hometown grew stronger as each year passed by. The final tug home came when the NFL announced that the Cleveland Browns football franchise would be resurrected for the 1999-2000 season. All McGraws and Clevelanders are die-hard Sunday afternoon football fans, and Dan decided to take a leave of absence and cover the Browns' first season. Soon thereafter, Richard was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Dan came home to a press pass and the caretaking chores for a father intent on dying the way he lived, on his own terms. First and Last Seasons is a heart-wrenching work about fathers and sons, the binding influence of community, and how emotionally disconnected men find a common language in sports. It is also a poignantly funny and charming celebration of one man's life and how his sacrifices and mistakes helped his son find the best part of himself. A beautifully written, intensely personal story, this cathartic chronicle of how Dan participated in his father's final season is sure to speak to the millions of fathers and sons who havetrouble finding the voice to express their love for one another.

In a series of personal essays, the organic farmer and author of Epitaph for a Peach prepares to hand his family’s eighty-acre farm to his daughter. How do you become a farmer? The real questions are: What kind of person do you want to be? Are you willing to change? How do you learn? What is your vision for the future? In this poignant collection of essays, David Mas Masumoto prepares for one of life’s greatest transitions. After four decades of working the land, he will pass down his beloved peach farm to his daughter, Nikiko. Echoing Nikiko’s words that “all of the gifts I have received from this life are not only worthy of sharing, but must be shared,” Mas reflects on topics as far ranging as the art of pruning, climate change, and the prejudice his family faced during and after World War II: essays that, whether humorous or heartbreaking, explore what it means to pass something on. Nikiko’s voice is present too, as she relates the myriad lessons she has learned from her father in preparation for running the farm as a queer mixed-race woman. Both farmers feel less than totally set for the future that lies ahead; indeed, Changing Season addresses the uncertain future of small-scale agriculture in California. What is unquestionable, though, is the family’s love for their vocation—and for each other.

The state of society and cultural pressure on the family suggest dads have not been equipped to step up as the fathers the next generation needs. How much instruction and guidance have you received for your role as a father? In Seasons of Fathering - A handbook for life, you will receive instruction on the PASS the BATON strategy for dads along with practical guidance and specific encouragement for the Teacher, Coach and Counselor seasons of fathering. A father's journey is analogous to the 4 X 400 relay race - When a dad runs the relay of life well, he stays between the lines, places the baton firmly in the hand of the next generation and lets go. It is beautiful to watch. When a dad does not commit to run well, the clank of batons reverberate across society. This book is an encouragement to pass the baton well through the seasons of fathering and a charge to become the dad you are called to be, the dad the next generation needs to see.

When it comes to the unknown territory of having a baby, moms-to-be have nearly unending resources to plan and execute a healthy pregnancy and navigate those first months and years as a parent with confidence. New dads? Not so much. They want to get in the game too, but, says Super Bowl champion Benjamin Watson, "I could find clearer direction for putting together a baby swing than for taking care of a newborn child." The New Dad's Playbook is every man's game plan to being the best partner and the best father, from pre-season (preparing for fatherhood) to Super Bowl (birth) to post-season (after baby is home). It helps men understand what their wives are going through physically and emotionally during and after pregnancy, allowing them to support their most important teammate. It tells men what to expect when their baby is home--and what to do when the unexpected happens. This tell-it-like-it-is book will take men from just winging it to winning it.

By the author of the bestselling picture book Petunia, The House of Four Seasons is a bright and lively family picture book about colors, imagination, and compromise When Father, Mother, Billy, and Suzy go house hunting in the country, they fall in love with a grand old house nestled among tall weeds and trees. It is in need of repair, and soon a carpenter, mason, and tinsmith come to set things straight, but it needs painting too. The family agrees it would be more fun to paint the house themselves, but no one can agree on the color, and to make matters worse, the hardware store only carries three colors: red, blue, and yellow. But Father has an idea. “You’ll see, he says, “colors can do many tricks when they get together,” and with a sudden flourish, a color wheel appears! Budding artists and engineers will love this surprising story, and adults would do well to note how Father arrives at a winning trifecta of negotiation, education, and thrift.

Be a Better Dad Today! is a global bestseller for a reason: it's one of the best books on fatherhood you will ever read. Warmly endorsed by dozens of America's best-known and most respected fathers, the book lays out the "Ten Tools of Fatherhood" that will help every dad who uses them. The book is the product of Slayton's thirty-year study of fatherhood on five different continents, his research, and his own experience raising four children with his wife of twenty-six years. Slayton's easy-to-read, friendly style makes it a fun read, and the many great real-life stories bring it to life. Be a Better Dad Today! is an inspirational, encouraging, and down-to-earth guidebook for every father who wants to be a better dad--for his family's sake and his own. With humor, empathy, common sense, and engaging stories, Slayton reveals proven and powerful tools and techniques that will help every dad fulfill his God-given responsibilities. Whether parenting younger or older kids, boys or girls, blended families or as a single dad (or even as a father-to-be), readers will find wise insights and practical, doable action steps for becoming the best dad they can be. The book makes a great gift for Father's Day, Christmas, birthdays, or any day. And since the Slaytons are dedicating 100 percent of all royalties from the book to fatherhood and family charities serving the US Military and at-risk families, your purchase will a blessing to the fathers and families who serve our nation every day.

Whirl through the months of the year in this action packed seek-and-find book that takes young readers on an outdoor adventure as the months pass by. The detailed pictures offer a wide variety of items to spot, while also teaching the changes that happen in nature as the year turns.