Punk Rock Dad
Over the weekend, I read Punk Rock Dad. The publisher, Collins, sent me an advance copy in the hopes I would like it. When I first got the book, two things came to mind: (1) Great, another book about a dad trying to be cool and (2) I don’t like punk rock, why would they send me this book? Surprisingly, I liked the book. This is actually the second book the publisher sent me. I was planning on reading the other book first, but I couldn’t put Punk Rock Dad down after I read a few lines (I got very little sleep in the last few days).
Jim Lindberg, the leader singer of the punk rock band Pennywise, wrote the book. He’s also the father of three little girls. The book is his humorous and serious take on being a parent who is still a rebellious kid.
As kids, Lindberg and I were opposites. Lindberg grew up rebellious and disrespectful of authority. On the other hand, I was obedient and respectful. Lindberg stood out and didn’t give a crap about what others thought of him. As an Asian American, I stood out too. But I wanted to blend in and cared about what others thought of me. Lindberg didn’t want to be like everyone else and I wanted to be just like all the other kids…I wanted to fit in. Even though Lindberg and I have completely different backgrounds, we are very alike when it comes to our parenting struggles and experiences. For example, this sounds familiar:
“Almost exactly to the day when my kids had their second birthdays, they started acting different. They verbalize their requests, so instead of just crying to get what they want, they have this crying/talking/moaning thing they do called whining. Whining operates at a decibel level that is so annoying to a man’s eardrum follicles that he’ll immediately do anything to get it to stop, throwing all advice to the contrary out the window. Our children figured this out early on and would employ the whining tactic to get anything from chocolate milk and French fries for breakfast to whatever overpriced toy they wanted at the toy store.”
I’ll admit it. Once (back when I took care of the little princess full time), I couldn’t stand her whining and crying anymore so I let her eat all the M&M’s she wanted. As a result, she tossed and turned and cried all night. I didn’t make that mistake again.
Being the rebellious punk rocker that Lindberg is, you would think he lets his kids do anything they want. That’s not actually the case. As far as parenting goes, Lindberg and I have similar beliefs:
“The balance between being the cool parent and the figure of fair and just authority is the balance beam all parents have to learn to negotiate; lean too far one way and you’re the overbearing asshole always yelling at their kids until they can’t have any fun, and lean too far the other way trying to be their best friend and your kid grows up with no discipline until life teaches it to them the hard way.”
This isn’t a book about how to become a good parent. Nor is it a book about how to be a cool parent. But if you are interested in reading a book about a dad’s insightful perspective on parenting, I would recommend this book. If you pre-order it now, it should arrive before Father’s Day.
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15 Comments
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Seems like a really good book … hmmm … might just get that one …
One question for me though would be, how do you strike that balance? It seems so hard …
That’s a good question. In my case, I experiment with my oldest child to find the right balance. She’s my guinea pig. Then I apply what I learn on my two other kids. Ha! Maybe someone can invent a device to help us find that right balance.
sounds promising…the balance seems hard. I just hope that as a parent of two girls, we can all learn to rely on each other…with fairness, trust, and love.
- Jon
- Daddy Detective
- http://www.daddydetective.com
Two girls…good luck. I’ve noticed my girls are a lot better at whining than my son. The girls are very determined. My son usually gives up after a few minutes.
Sounds like a good book.
We have trouble finding the balance between us and the preteen in our house. Too far one way and we are overbearing and controlling. Too far the other way and there is no discipline. But no matter which way we do go, he still thinks we are both dorks.
I’m sure it will get better when he becomes a teenager ;->
Sounds interesting, will consider it in future but I’ll probably be the one reading it. Now I am still persuading my other half to cut the umbilical cord and change poopy diapers.
Oh no, not the umbilical cord! I hated doing that part. I was afraid I was going to hurt the baby.
Sounds good! I will have to go order it…
Nice review.
[...] like Daddy Forever, am the proud owner of a new promo copy of Punk Rock Dad: No Rules, Just Real Life by Jim Lindberg [...]
Great review! I think my hubs might like this.
Sounds like a good book.
heyy… this book looks pretty good,, might buy it lol
i would love to have a “punk rock dad”
Byee x x x
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