CONFESSIONS OF A RELUCTANT FATHER

This little book is about my wary pilgrimage into the unknown territory of fatherhood. I must say that, as the youngest in my family, I was a novice at this baby thing. I had seen babies from a distance, and knew that they cry, they wiggle, they looked breakable, and stuff came from every orifice on their little bodies. But I didn't know the intricacies of diapers, schedules, what a cry might mean, or any of the essential knowledge for fatherhood. My wife Ellen had tried to acclimate me to the world of babies by forcing me to hold one whenever we would come across a young family at church. But I must say that it was with a great deal of apprehension that I entered into fatherhood.

I remember the night that Becky was born. When the nurse came and put her in my arms for the first time when she was just minutes old, I still had no idea what to do, but the difference was that this time I very much wanted to know. This little bundle was my baby . . . my baby . . . who would one day voluntarily walk up to me and hold up her arms and say, "I love you, Daddy;" who would someday, Lord willing, take a long walk with her dad to tell her tale and seek his advice; whom I would perhaps some day walk down the aisle and give away to some young man--a young man who might be very much as I myself was then.

And so the incredible journey began, that journey into the great unknown. With Ellen as my careful trainer, my own father as my patient model, the Lord as my wisest instructor, and some significant male mentors along the way, I became a student in the school of life. I am determined to pass the course, to enjoy the moment, to pass the baton and to leave a heritage for my family. May God give me the strength to do so acceptably. May the words found in this little book help you on your journey as well.

Dedicated to my wife Ellen,
who has patiently been my co-parent,
and to my children,
who have loved me unconditionally.

Chapters

CHAPTERS:
Introduction
"Great Expectations"
"In the Beginning" (Birth)
The Innocent Years (0-1)
"This Two Shall Pass" (2-3)
Preschool years (4-5)
School years (6-11)
"The End of the Innocence" (12-18)
"Each to His Own" (choosing a life partner)
Letting Go
Fathering a Prodigal
Plan B Parenting (raising a child who is not biologically yours)
Family Ministry:
Through Family (training),
With Family (hospitality),
To Family (discipline)
The Next Generation (grandfatherhood)
The Final Blessing