CAPTAIN DAD

The superhero approach to raising kids.

What father doesn't want to be a superhero in the eyes of his child? With the guidance of New Yorker cartoonist Byrnes (Because I'm the Child Here and I Said So: A Joke Book for Parents, 2006, etc.), any parent, especially dads, can become just that. Having been a stay-at-home parent of two daughters for nearly a decade, the author is fully qualified to state, "Being a stay-at-home parent is the toughest job there is. For a woman or a man." Byrnes wryly admits this statement to be true and writes, "I'll even say it again in my deepest, manliest baritone, on behalf of every human male using those three little words every spouse longs to hear. You were right." The author admits to his failures—e.g., his inability to keep the world of Disney away from his girls. But what's a father to do when Mickey and other characters are printed on diapers, and he's unaware that the "Disney Princesses had formed an alliance and intended to annex all of young female America." Not to mention the intense pressure from Grammy to buy tickets to the Disney on Ice show before it left town. Sleep deprivation, the struggles to find a safe and clean place to change a diaper in a men's room (not a chance), the attempt to "green parent," and maneuvering through toilet training and preschool—these are just some of the many episodes Byrnes retells with gusto. He also provides helpful hints and lists of things you can and cannot live without when raising children. Amusing comic drawings round out this fun book.

Droll and sometimes useful commentary on early child care.