One of the prompts for the Around the Year in 52 Books reading challenge I signed up for this year was to read 2 books realted to the same topic, genre or theme. I chose Parenting Humour as there are so many parenting books out there that add some humour to the mix to make things a litte less stressful - think books like Toddlers Are A**holes (It's Not Your Fault) by Bunmi Laditan. Here are my thoughts on the two books that I had on my wishlist for sometime.
Geek Parenting: What Joffrey, Jor-El, Maleficent, and the McFly's Teach Us about Raising a Family by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu
Published: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 208
Received: borrowed form library
From Batman to Charlie
Bucket, from Meg Murry to the Venture Brothers, every hero of science
fiction, heroic fantasy, or speculative literature is the product of
parental influences. This collection of pithy mini essays and charming
illustrations offers short, sweet, and deep thoughts about parenting as
exemplified by the most memorable parent-child pairings: Vader and Luke,
Spock and Sarek, Peter Parker and Aunt May, even Pinocchio and Gepetto.
Earth's Mightiest Parents reveals the profound child-rearing advice
(and mistakes) hidden in geek pop culture. What would Vader do? Now geek
parents of all stripes can find out, using these life lessons to raise a
next generation of their own.
My initial thoughts after reading this book were:
I need to buy a copy so
that I can annotate it. So many amazing pop culture references used in a
way that any Geek Parent can relate to. So many topics we've already
been dealing with as parent and so many stages we are anticipating in
the near future. I love the quick little sections that speak our
language!
There were absolutely the best references in this book that I personally adored and could connect with. Everything from literary characters to TV shows and comic book heroes to movies. A little bit of everything all rolled into one.
I do honestly plan to order this book on my next online order because I want to go through the entire thing again so that I can annotate and flag different pages to refer back to when I either need a chuckle, a reminder that we've got this as parents or just to read a helpful tidbit of info for the coming stages of raising a child.
If you are looking for a fun and geeky way to help guide you as a parent and remind you that "with great power comes great responsibility" (Stan Lee). This book is written by two authors; one a geek parent and one a child of geeks. I loved their opening perspective pieces that allowed a glimpse into the respective roles and how geek parenting was right for them.
Now, remember this is not a self-help book, just a few people who've written down insight and perspective of life lessons learned from the fabulous pop culture. These quick little examples of challenges in raising a child and how the different characters handled the situations just give encouragement in one of the hardest jobs you'll ever have. It doesn't need to be so scary and I think knowing some of our all time favourite characters have our back and have some bits of wisdom to pass on, just might help calm the nerves a bit.
I'm sure when I get my copy in the mail, I'll had so many quotes to highlight that I'll need to do up some of quote images to post on Instagram or feature on the blog. Seriously! Go get this book.
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| Some of the pop culture references that will help raise our daughter. |
Only Dead on the Inside: A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse by James Breakwell
Published: October 10, 2017
Publisher: Benbella Books
Pages: 200
Received: borrowed from library
It's not easy being a parent these days. There are bills to pay. Kids to feed. And hordes of undead monsters to keep at bay.
There
are plenty of guides out there about how to survive the zombie
apocalypse. All of them assume readers are young, fit, and unencumbered
by children. In that scenario, the only living humans left will be smug,
outdoorsy Millennials. That's hell on earth, even without the zombies.
Only Dead on the Inside is the answer for the rest of us.
Written by professional comedy writer and amateur father-of-four James Breakwell (@XplodingUnicorn), Only Dead on the Inside
blends traditional parenting advice with zombie survival tips, bringing
together two totally unrelated genres in a book no one asked for but
everyone needs.
This step-by-step manual teaches you how to raise
happy, healthy children in a world overrun by the undead. Motivated
moms and dads want it all, and that won't change at the end of the
world. There's no reason you can't be a zombie killing machine AND
parent of the year, but you have to work for it.
If you want to make sure your family is apocalypse-ready, Only Dead on the Inside is your best--and only--chance at survival. No pressure, but if you don't read this book, your children will die.
Now for facing the zombie apocalypse while trying to keep children alive. This book is hilarious and just a bit sarcastic at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the lists and the cartoons scattered among the pages. If you don't follow James on Twitter, you should - @XplodingUnicorn - he won't let you down with the funny parenting tweets! You do not need to be a parent to read this book. It's fun for anyone, but most hysterical to parents.
Some of the fun things you will learn about parenting during a zombie apocalypse:
1) Place children in a garbage can so the zombies can't smell them and your child is not a moving target, just be sure to give your kid some snacks to keep them quiet.
2) Umbrella strollers are the deadliest of weapons and lightweight enough to bring with you while escaping. Plus, a toddler that isn't quick on their feet can be pushed to safety quickly.
3) You never need to clean your house again... why bother when everything around you is pretty much a dumpster fire anyway.
This is a book I'd give as a gift to any parent. We all can use a chuckle here and there and some gentle reminders on how we're not alone on this roller coaster ride of keeping children alive (zombie apocalypse or not).
Do you have any satirical parenting books to recommend to me? I'd love to hear what ones you enjoyed!
