Punk Rock Dad: No Rules, Just Real Life

I got this for my husband's birthday when we found out we were 6 weeks pregnant. I was looking for a parenting book that was not all caveman-ish and more enlightened dad and I glanced at this book and bought it and LOVED it! He read it in one weekend and then gave it to me, and then I read it in one weekend. We read it again when we found out we were having twins, as he talks about jealousy between sibs and balancing kids' personalities. Now that we're closer to the end and suspect we're having girls, we just re-read it again! I've never been a punk-rocker, and never heard of Pennywise, but my husband loves that type of music. I do think that if you're not a punk rocker kind of person you'll still enjoy the stories. It's all warm stories about learning he's going to be a dad, the pregnancy freakout, the birth from the guy's side, and then the stories about infanthood through kindergarden. It's not preachy at all and more of "this is what I did, learn from my mistakes" kind of book, which I really love. (Particularly his first night home alone with his daughter, and the time he had to change the baby out and didn't have any baby wipes!) I will say however, if you are giving this as a gift, it's not for the right-wing conservative, NRA card carrying, or redneck husband/father. He will absolutely not appreciate it, and I suspect the bad reviews are from those kind of guys who are more of a hands-off type of dad. However, if your hubby is a left-leaning or mainstream kind of guy who is concerned about not becoming his father, taking an active role in his kids' lives and wanting the world to be a better place for the next generation, this is your book. I really really hope he comes out with another book in a few years time when the girls are older. I'm so curious to see how he handles the school-aged years, especially middle school and high school. I would buy that book in a second!!!

I bought this book about a month ago, and read it in no time. It was the funniest, most honest book about parenting, growing up (or not wanting to), life in general, etc...i've read in a long time, and also very touching. From mosh pits, to bottles, breast pumps, diapers, mini van, and Warped tour and PTA meetings...It's got something for everyone. Jim Lindberg is very good at describing situations, and you can picture him going through all the drama, ups and downs of life and yet feel the inconditional love he has for his family. All the incertainty of being a So-Cal Punk Rock guy, staying true to your beliefs, while raising 3 daughters...it's all in there. I hope he writes another book, i truly enjoyed his writing.

This is a great book for us 30 or 40-somethings who secretly (or not so secretly) rage against fitting into the PTA/suburbia parenting mold but still end up there by accident and happenstance. If you wonder some days what happened to your mohawk and "screw the establishment" values as you scramble around like an idiot looking for your 7-year-olds fluffy, pink hair bows, you will totally get this book. Laugh out loud funny and honest, I would recommend this book to any punker, ex-punker or closet rebel.

I had tons of expectations about this book. I was wrong to think I would gain great insight into Pennywise after reading it. I was pretty sure Fletcher puked on people already. What I DID learn though was much more interesting. As different as we all think we may be, having a kid pretty much evens everything up. When Jim realizes he's not all that different from the South Bay millionaire in dockers on a play date, the message really takes hold. The advice he offers on child rearing is honest and straight forward and devoid of new age thought crime. He takes his miss steps with a grain of salt, is humble when he manages to apparently do the right thing, and keeps it real. There are a lot of confusing messages in the child rearing advice world. Jim gets you back to common sense. Some day we'll all work for Daughter #1!

Jim writes like he speaks. It's just like sitting there hanging out and listening to him tell you the tales of his life. You really feel like you are in his shoes when you are reading this book and the language is soothing and makes you feel right at home. He is witty, clever and doesn't write outside of his ability or use words that normal people do not understand. It's funny how the more you read this book, the more you realize Jim is just like everyone else. This is a great Sunday morning read that you won't put down all day.