Father's Day Gift Giving Guide -- How to Be a Dad by Nick Kelsh (Review)

 

Actor Jack Nicholson, interviewed as a “Celebrity Superdad” for being a wonderful father his second time around, credited Nick Kelsh’s HOW TO BE DAD as his parenting bible. “I can recommend HOW TO BE DAD,” he said. “That’s one of the best books I’ve read on fatherhood.”

An exploration/celebration of what it means to be a father, How to be Dad is now available in this special Book/DVD set. The author is filmed in various fatherly locations reading his inspirational and sometimes irreverent words set to his photographic reflections on fatherhood.

My Thoughts:

Last month I got to review Nick Kelsh's book, "How to Photograph Your Baby," and included it as part of my Mother's Day Gift Giving Guide.  Click here if you missed my review of this title.  Today, I wanted to share another book from Nick, titled "How to Be a Dad."  And, with Father's Day right around the corner, I thought it only fitting to include this title as part of my current Father's Day Gift Giving Guide.  I was sent the DVD version of this Nick's book, which he narrates himself, and share video and still photos that tie in his thoughts about being a Dad perfectly.  

When I showed my husband this DVD, he was reluctant to watch it, but after sitting down at the computer with me the other night after the girls finally went to bed, he was glad that he did.  When he came a Dad back in 2010, he had no idea what being a father meant, what roles he would be taking on, nevertheless know how to change a diaper.  Everything was new to him, and on a few occasions, I watched as he struggled to find his place in the world of fatherhood.  All the books that he read about welcoming a child couldn't prepare him for what was in store for him.  With both of our daughters, they were diagnosed at 3 weeks old with pyloric stenosis, and needed surgery.  These trips to the hospital is where he bonded with and fell in love with Arabella and Savannah.  If you ask moms when they fell in love with their baby, they tell you the moment they hold them in their arms.  But, with fathers, it usually takes time, as they feel like they are losing their freedoms as men, and really don't grasp the magnitude of what it means to welcome a child into the world, and how their lives will revolve around that baby's.  Sleepness nights in the beginning, not only take a toll on parents physically and emotionally, but also act as a way for fathers to see what being a father is all about, and how, like mothers, you could spend countless hours, even though you are tired, watching your baby sleep in their beds/cribs.  I loved the photos of this which were shown while Nick was talking about this.  It wasn't until my husband saw our two daughters laying in their hospital cribs, with tubes and needles attached to them, that he fell in love with them, and wanted to do anything to protect them and keep them from having to go through anything painful again.  

After we watched this movie, I asked my husband what parts he liked most, or that resonated with him.  These are just some that stood out to him:

1)  Nick talked about how even though a mother birthed baby, "A woman cannot give a father's love."

2) Give your child the "best you have today."

3) "The most valuable gift you can give your daughter is confidence..."

4) Nick talked about how each child needs a different kind of love, and how you, as a father, can't treat them the same way.  He used his brother Eric, who liked to fish like his father, as an example, all while sharing personal family photos.

5) My husband loved the jumping in the puddle photo, showing that you should goof around with your children.  Also, the part where the children were banging the drums and piano keys, was cute, as Nick had the text scroll  over the video.

6) Near the end of the video, Nick reads from his book, how your children never belonged to you, that they belong to the world.  But, not to worry as they will never belong to anyone else either.  This made my husband and I think about this bold statement, which is true, if you really think about.  Even when your children leave for college or get married,  they are their own person and will not be controlled or owned by anyone else.


What sums up the whole DVD reading of Nick's book is when he talks about a father not dying once for his children, but a thousand times.  As he reads this, a photo of 3 girls, all in pink, with one holding a pink bunny appears on the screen.  What a pure and innocent picture this is, and it really makes you think about the love you have for your children, no matter what their age, and how you would do anything, including die for them, as their Dad.  And, this is why we celebrate Father's Day!

--BUY NOW--

Click here to order this and other products from Nick Kelsh.  How to Be a Dad retails for only $14.95, and would make the perfect Father's Day gift this year.

Disclosure:  I was sent a sample from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.