Booksneeze Book Review: Daddy Dates by Greg Wright

***** 5 Stars

Okay, I’m not a daddy. I think you’ve got that figured out already.  When I went to Booksneeze to choose a book, I looked for something that had only a few reviews posted for it.  Daddy Dates had fewer than 10 reviews, so I thought, “What the hay! I’m not a dad, but I do have a daughter.” So here we are.

Daddy Dates is a treasure trove of information about the Woman Brain, an uncharted “no man’s land” Greg Wright has actively explored in order to raise “strong and confident” daughters.

            Mr. Wright covers a lot of ground in a few pages (around 200 not counting the Pop Quiz and the Top 15 Daddy Dates). Some chapters are very man-centered. “How to Talk to a Girl” (this is self-explanatory), “Totin’ the Load” (this is all about purses and other baggage girls decide to carry), “Tweening” (what’s a dad to do when girls go all curvy?) are centered on teaching dads about girls. They cover things most women already know. I was repeatedly amazed that a man could so precisely express things that most women think, but rarely say. 

            Other chapters are universal to all parents. “Friendship Rocks” (when should they date? This one will surprise you), “The River and the Whirlpool” (have friends who keep you accountable), “When Daddy Doesn’t Live There” (or Mommy), and “Lucky Number 13” (everything changes now) all apply to moms and dads. And they set some pretty high standards.

            There are two concepts in Daddy Dates that stick out to me. Reading the book, I wished that my own dad had done these things. I wished my husband did them more. And I was reminded that as my daughter grows up, I’ll need to do them too.

1.      Listen. Pay attention to what she’s saying for as long as it takes her to say it.  Don’t try to solve her problems. Sometimes she just needs to talk it out.

2.      Make it all about her.  Check your preferences at the door. This means food, movies, music, everything. If you want her to know how much you cherish her for who she is, you have to let her be that person.

While I was learning, or reviewing, all these things I was also laughing my head off and crying my eyes out, at the appropriate moments. Greg Wright is a funny guy, and he has some funny kids. This family has had some heartwarming moments.  It’s great to get a peak at those moments and what they’ve learned along the way.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.