Becoming Dad

Guides prospective fathers in parenting from pregnancy to the third year, providing advice for practical and emotional challenges, pinpointing developmental milestones, and detailing the role of a father in a child's life.

Fatherhood is a journey of transformation and is without a doubt a life-changing experience. "Becoming a Dad" is for a new father who desires to become more invested with his child, his marriage, his life, and his life story.

Every person is born with a deep longing for a father. Being Dad deals with the way fathers, and the subject of biblical fatherhood, are treated in modern culture. Dr. Keith brings his experience with family, students, great mentors, and friends to bear on a subject that is crying out for attention. Equally, he brings his Christian faith, a scholarly eye for detail, and an ear for story along on the journey and works with the reader to navigate a path to a better country where the Father blesses His children and is honored. Forgiven fathers are a gift from God, for they have the gospel to proclaim to their families. This approach leads to gracious fathers that can now display a shadow of the love of their Heavenly Father so that children may be drawn into saving faith.

The fatherless black family is a problem that grows to bigger proportions every year as generations of black children grow up without an adult male in their homes. As this dire pattern grows worse, what can men do who hope to break it, when there are so few models and so little guidance in their own homes and communities? Where can they learn to “become Dad?” When Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Pitts—who himself grew up with an abusive father whose absences came as a relief—interviewed dozens of men across the country, he found both discouragement and hope, as well as deep insights into his own roles as son and father. An unflinching investigation, both personal and journalistic, of black fatherhood in America, this is the best, most pivotal book on this profoundly important issue.

The twenty-five stories inside are ten minute explorations into the lives of people struggling with humanity, quick glimpses into extraordinary worlds that leave lasting impressions...a little boy must wish the wrong wish to save his own life...a philanthropist comes clean about her fantastic past...an old woman uses her dying moments to see her estranged son...a grandson tragically learns the value of his namesake...a servant girl wins a noble boy's heart through uncommon kindness...a teenage boy comes out and brings the quarterback with him...a woman's plans for the last day of her life go wonderfully awry...a family nearly dies when old man winter loses his way...a tiny girl named Mouse savors the last moments of her fragile freedom...a king exacts final revenge on his wicked son...

A thoughtful and "utterly mind-blowing" exploration of fatherhood and masculinity in the 21st century (New York Times). There are hundreds of books on parenting, and with good reason—becoming a parent is scary, difficult, and life-changing. But when it comes to books about parenting identity, rather than the nuts and bolts of raising children, nearly all are about what it's like to be a mother. Drawing on research in sociology, economics, philosophy, gender studies, and the author's own experiences, Father Figure sets out to fill that gap. It's an exploration of the psychology of fatherhood from an archetypal perspective as well as a cultural history that challenges familiar assumptions about the origins of so-called traditional parenting roles. What paradoxes and contradictions are inherent in our common understanding of dads? Might it be time to rethink some aspects of fatherhood? Gender norms are changing, and old economic models are facing disruption. As a result, parenthood and family life are undergoing an existential transformation. And yet, the narratives and images of dads available to us are wholly inadequate for this transition. Victorian and Industrial Age tropes about fathers not only dominate the media, but also contour most people's lived experience. Father Figure offers a badly needed update to our collective understanding of fatherhood—and masculinity in general. It teaches dads how to embrace the joys of fathering while guiding them toward an image of manliness for the modern world.

As a Christian father, you bear a tremendous responsibility—to raise your children through both biblical instruction and personal example. But how can you succeed in a society that attacks the role of fatherhood and godly family values? Are you sometimes tempted to give in or give up? The rewards of being a dad who leads are well worth making the effort to stand firm. The Bible offers clear guidance for dads on how to parent effectively. Join pastor-teacher John MacArthur as he looks at... the keys to building healthy family unity essential character qualities to teach every child how to lovingly discipline children and nurture obedience traps to avoid in the course of parenting the power of a dad’s example to influence future generations Commit yourself to being a dad who leads, and God will enable you every step of the way. There’s no surer path to experiencing a lifetime of family blessings!

Within weeks of getting pregnant, Kelly Crull's wife had a stack of parenting books waiting on his nightstand, complete with neat, hand-written bookmarks telling him which chapters he needed to read. In nine months, he had learned everything about his wife giving birth, becoming a mother, and how he could support her. What he wanted and couldn't find was a book by a normal guy telling him about becoming a dad. The last thing he needed was more expert advice, a ten-step plan or fancy pie charts. He just wanted someone to give it to him straight, "What was parenting going to be like for him?" Becoming Dad is the book he wanted and couldn't find.