The Dadly Virtues: Adventures from the Worst Job You'll Ever Love
edited by Jonathan V. Last contributions by Larry Miller, P. J. O'Rourke, Joe Queenan, Toby Young, Stephen F. Hayes, Joseph Epstein, Matthew Continetti, Tucker Carlson, David Burge, Christopher Caldwell, Andrew Ferguson, Jonah Goldberg, Michael Graham, Matt Labash, James Lileks and Rob Long
Templeton Press, 2015 Cloth: 978-1-59947-489-2 | Paper: 978-1-59947-508-0 | eISBN: 978-1-59947-490-8 Library of Congress Classification HQ756.D35 2015
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
From the all-star cast who brought you The Seven Deadly Virtues comes a book with a look at the good life… or the crazy-stressful-overwhelmed life… of a father.
The Dadly Virtues is a tongue-in-cheek collection of encouragement and guidance for any stage of fatherhood, from pacifying babies to prepping for senior prom, from cutting the cord to getting the first, “Best Grandpa” t-shirt. P.J. O’Rourke sets the stage with the chapter, “What Do Men Get from Fatherhood? Besides What They Put In …” and then is followed by:
•Matthew Continetti’s, “Newborn Terror: The Moment You Realize that ‘Bundle of Joy’ Is a Euphemism for Something Very Different.”
•Stephen F. Hayes’ “Siblings: The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give Your Kids.”
•Jonah Goldberg’s “Get Your Kid a Dog: The Moral Case for Pets.”
•Tucker Carlson’s “In Praise of Adventure: How to Fill a Child’s Life with Excitement and Danger (without Getting Them Killed).”
•Michael Graham’s, “Dating: Enjoy the Movie and Please Keep the Impregnation to a Minimum.”
•Christopher Caldwell’s “College: It’s Not as Bad as You Think; It’s Worse.”
•Andrew Ferguson’s “Emerging Adults and Empty Nesters: Just When You Had Fatherhood All Figured Out.”
•Toby Young’s “The Dark Side: Bad Parenting and the Things We Think, but Do Not Say.”
•Joseph Epstein’s “Thanks, Grandpa: Grandfatherhood and the Spirit of the Age.”
•And more.
Father-to-be, two-time-dad, or granddad, each essay will make you laugh and, at the same time, reinforce your commitment to the virtuous—the dadly—life.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan V. Last is a senior writer at the Weekly Standard, a Washington-based political magazine, and author of What to Expect When No One’s Expecting: America’s Coming Demographic Disaster (Encounter Books, 2013) and editor of The Seven Deadly Virtues (Templeton Press, 2014). His writings have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Post, the Claremont Review of Books, First Things, and elsewhere.
REVIEWS
“To their kids, all fathers must eventually seem conservative. And old-fashioned, and perhaps even boring. But, politically speaking, is there a uniquely conservative way to be a dad? Weekly Standard senior writer Jonathan V. Last has edited an essay collection by 17 conservative writers, policy wonks and entertainers, all offering advice and reflections on the business of fatherhood.”
— Carlos Lozada, Washington Post (May 7, 2015)
“The book is a compilation of stories about fatherhood and is a refreshing change over all the books out there written from women’s perspective of parenting.”
—Dr. Helen Smith, PJ Media (March 15, 2015
“Some of the country’s most highly-respected conservative journalists and opinion makers have come together and penned a new book. While these journalists are best known for their writings on political matters, this new book's subject is far more important. Parenting. More specifically, fatherhood.”
— Dan Joseph, MRC TV (May 7, 2015)
In the Fraternity of Dad, children haze their sires, who become men. Maybe. With one exception, each of the contributors to The Dadly Virtues is a member of the Frat of Dad and has stories about what he learned, what he wishes he’d known, and what he still doesn’t know.
The book is arranged chronologically, from new fathers to grandfathers, but you should start with the final essay, Joseph Epstein’s reflections on being a single father and then helping raise his grandchildren. Amongst the frat, Epstein is the man, a mensch, the incredibly cool alumnus everybody wants to be—or at least write as well as. —Mike Hubbard, Ricochet
“The Dadly Virtues takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to a subject with serious societal ramifications. It arrives at a time when fathers, and men in general, are often portrayed as bumbling and clueless—and, as Last notes in his introduction, ‘only 69 percent of kids (in America) live in a home with two parents.’ It contains some language that’s probably best not shared with younger children.”
“The book covers all stages of fatherhood: expecting and experiencing a first child’s birth; seeing one’s family expand; dealing with children about religion, athletics, college, dating, marriage, and moving out on their own or back home; and eventually becoming a grandfather.”
“The readers who might benefit most from the book are those about to be fathers. Describing it as ‘part instructional guide, part meditation, part war journal,’ Last writes: ‘It is, frankly, the book I wish I’d had back when my first child, Cody, was born.’”
—Alan Wallace, TribLive
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments / xi
Introduction: On Fatherhood, Manliness, and Failure / 3
Jonathan V. Last
Chapter 1: What Do Men Get from Fatherhood? Besides What They Put In … / 17
P. J. O’Rourke
Chapter 2: Newborn Terror: The Moment You Realize That “Bundle of Joy”
Is a Euphemism for Something Very Different / 25
Matthew Continetti
Chapter 3: Siblings: The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give Your Kids / 36
Stephen F. Hayes
Chapter 4: Television and Kids: The Beauty and Pain of TV / 45
James Lileks
Chapter 5: Get Your Kid a Dog: The Moral Case for Pets / 58
Jonah Goldberg
Chapter 6: In Praise of Adventure: How to Fill a Child’s Life with Excitement and Danger (Without Getting Them Killed) / 66
Tucker Carlson
Chapter 7: Catechesis: Teaching Your Kid about God / 73
Larry Miller
Chapter 8: Surviving School: It’s Just as Bad the Second Time Around / 84
Joe Queenan
Chapter 9: Sports: Advice for the Care and Feeding of the Child-Athlete / 94
David Burge (aka Iowahawk)
Chapter 10: The Dark Side: Bad Parenting and the Things We Think, but Do Not Say / 104
Toby Young
Chapter 11: The Talk: The Birds and Bees Aren’t What They Used to Be / 113
Matt Labash
Chapter 12: Dating: Enjoy the Movie and Please Keep the Impregnation to a Minimum / 127
Michael Graham
Chapter 13: College: It’s Not as Bad as You Think; It’s Worse / 137
Christopher Caldwell
Chapter 14: Emerging Adults and Empty Nesters: Just When You Had Fatherhood All Figured Out / 146
Andrew Ferguson
Chapter 15: Love and Marriage: How to Talk to Your Kids about the Most Important Decision They’ll Ever Make / 156
Rob Long
Chapter 16: Thanks, Grandpa: Grandfatherhood and the Spirit of the Age / 166
Joseph Epstein
About the Contributors / 177
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
The Dadly Virtues: Adventures from the Worst Job You'll Ever Love
edited by Jonathan V. Last contributions by Larry Miller, P. J. O'Rourke, Joe Queenan, Toby Young, Stephen F. Hayes, Joseph Epstein, Matthew Continetti, Tucker Carlson, David Burge, Christopher Caldwell, Andrew Ferguson, Jonah Goldberg, Michael Graham, Matt Labash, James Lileks and Rob Long
From the all-star cast who brought you The Seven Deadly Virtues comes a book with a look at the good life… or the crazy-stressful-overwhelmed life… of a father.
The Dadly Virtues is a tongue-in-cheek collection of encouragement and guidance for any stage of fatherhood, from pacifying babies to prepping for senior prom, from cutting the cord to getting the first, “Best Grandpa” t-shirt. P.J. O’Rourke sets the stage with the chapter, “What Do Men Get from Fatherhood? Besides What They Put In …” and then is followed by:
•Matthew Continetti’s, “Newborn Terror: The Moment You Realize that ‘Bundle of Joy’ Is a Euphemism for Something Very Different.”
•Stephen F. Hayes’ “Siblings: The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give Your Kids.”
•Jonah Goldberg’s “Get Your Kid a Dog: The Moral Case for Pets.”
•Tucker Carlson’s “In Praise of Adventure: How to Fill a Child’s Life with Excitement and Danger (without Getting Them Killed).”
•Michael Graham’s, “Dating: Enjoy the Movie and Please Keep the Impregnation to a Minimum.”
•Christopher Caldwell’s “College: It’s Not as Bad as You Think; It’s Worse.”
•Andrew Ferguson’s “Emerging Adults and Empty Nesters: Just When You Had Fatherhood All Figured Out.”
•Toby Young’s “The Dark Side: Bad Parenting and the Things We Think, but Do Not Say.”
•Joseph Epstein’s “Thanks, Grandpa: Grandfatherhood and the Spirit of the Age.”
•And more.
Father-to-be, two-time-dad, or granddad, each essay will make you laugh and, at the same time, reinforce your commitment to the virtuous—the dadly—life.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan V. Last is a senior writer at the Weekly Standard, a Washington-based political magazine, and author of What to Expect When No One’s Expecting: America’s Coming Demographic Disaster (Encounter Books, 2013) and editor of The Seven Deadly Virtues (Templeton Press, 2014). His writings have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Post, the Claremont Review of Books, First Things, and elsewhere.
REVIEWS
“To their kids, all fathers must eventually seem conservative. And old-fashioned, and perhaps even boring. But, politically speaking, is there a uniquely conservative way to be a dad? Weekly Standard senior writer Jonathan V. Last has edited an essay collection by 17 conservative writers, policy wonks and entertainers, all offering advice and reflections on the business of fatherhood.”
— Carlos Lozada, Washington Post (May 7, 2015)
“The book is a compilation of stories about fatherhood and is a refreshing change over all the books out there written from women’s perspective of parenting.”
—Dr. Helen Smith, PJ Media (March 15, 2015
“Some of the country’s most highly-respected conservative journalists and opinion makers have come together and penned a new book. While these journalists are best known for their writings on political matters, this new book's subject is far more important. Parenting. More specifically, fatherhood.”
— Dan Joseph, MRC TV (May 7, 2015)
In the Fraternity of Dad, children haze their sires, who become men. Maybe. With one exception, each of the contributors to The Dadly Virtues is a member of the Frat of Dad and has stories about what he learned, what he wishes he’d known, and what he still doesn’t know.
The book is arranged chronologically, from new fathers to grandfathers, but you should start with the final essay, Joseph Epstein’s reflections on being a single father and then helping raise his grandchildren. Amongst the frat, Epstein is the man, a mensch, the incredibly cool alumnus everybody wants to be—or at least write as well as. —Mike Hubbard, Ricochet
“The Dadly Virtues takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to a subject with serious societal ramifications. It arrives at a time when fathers, and men in general, are often portrayed as bumbling and clueless—and, as Last notes in his introduction, ‘only 69 percent of kids (in America) live in a home with two parents.’ It contains some language that’s probably best not shared with younger children.”
“The book covers all stages of fatherhood: expecting and experiencing a first child’s birth; seeing one’s family expand; dealing with children about religion, athletics, college, dating, marriage, and moving out on their own or back home; and eventually becoming a grandfather.”
“The readers who might benefit most from the book are those about to be fathers. Describing it as ‘part instructional guide, part meditation, part war journal,’ Last writes: ‘It is, frankly, the book I wish I’d had back when my first child, Cody, was born.’”
—Alan Wallace, TribLive
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments / xi
Introduction: On Fatherhood, Manliness, and Failure / 3
Jonathan V. Last
Chapter 1: What Do Men Get from Fatherhood? Besides What They Put In … / 17
P. J. O’Rourke
Chapter 2: Newborn Terror: The Moment You Realize That “Bundle of Joy”
Is a Euphemism for Something Very Different / 25
Matthew Continetti
Chapter 3: Siblings: The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give Your Kids / 36
Stephen F. Hayes
Chapter 4: Television and Kids: The Beauty and Pain of TV / 45
James Lileks
Chapter 5: Get Your Kid a Dog: The Moral Case for Pets / 58
Jonah Goldberg
Chapter 6: In Praise of Adventure: How to Fill a Child’s Life with Excitement and Danger (Without Getting Them Killed) / 66
Tucker Carlson
Chapter 7: Catechesis: Teaching Your Kid about God / 73
Larry Miller
Chapter 8: Surviving School: It’s Just as Bad the Second Time Around / 84
Joe Queenan
Chapter 9: Sports: Advice for the Care and Feeding of the Child-Athlete / 94
David Burge (aka Iowahawk)
Chapter 10: The Dark Side: Bad Parenting and the Things We Think, but Do Not Say / 104
Toby Young
Chapter 11: The Talk: The Birds and Bees Aren’t What They Used to Be / 113
Matt Labash
Chapter 12: Dating: Enjoy the Movie and Please Keep the Impregnation to a Minimum / 127
Michael Graham
Chapter 13: College: It’s Not as Bad as You Think; It’s Worse / 137
Christopher Caldwell
Chapter 14: Emerging Adults and Empty Nesters: Just When You Had Fatherhood All Figured Out / 146
Andrew Ferguson
Chapter 15: Love and Marriage: How to Talk to Your Kids about the Most Important Decision They’ll Ever Make / 156
Rob Long
Chapter 16: Thanks, Grandpa: Grandfatherhood and the Spirit of the Age / 166
Joseph Epstein
About the Contributors / 177
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE