Father-ish: Laugh-Out-Loud Tales From a Dad Trying Not to Ruin His Kids' Lives

by Clint Edwards

Father· adjective . When a man is trying his best.

Clint Edwards equates fatherhood to the time he did an important live TV interview from To the viewers, he looked put-together in a nice button-up shirt . . . but below the camera he wasn’t wearing any pants. And it may have looked like he was in a nice office, but he was in fact hidden in his bedroom closet because his whole house was too messy to show.

This highly relatable collection gets to the heart of all those unexpected fails, awkward conversations, and well-intentioned little white lies. Clint chronicles all these things and more with stories like “The Time My Son Realized I Was Santa,” “I’ve Never Been to Hell, but I Have Been to a Little Girl’s Birthday Party,” and “How to Get the Sex Talk Very, Very Wrong.” And with each story you’ll see over and over again that there really aren’t any rules when it comes to parenting, and all you can do is try your best.

Whether you’re a first-time parent unaware of what you’ve gotten yourself into yet, or a father of five, clinging to your last ounce of sanity, you’ll find relief in knowing that at end of the day, we’re all not wearing any pants.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Humor, Audiobook

272 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2020

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first exposure to this author’s work in Father-ish, a book made of stories of being a male parent. Edwards writes about it in a wry, humorous way that many can relate to. The stories are all along those lines, about situations between him and his family, how he manages and deals with fatherhood, and how oftentimes, those very things leave him wondering how he’s doing as a dad.

There are many personal scenarios pulled from his personal life with his wife and kids, and he has a great way of expressing them in ways that are funny. I caught myself laughing out loud more than I expected. If you like this type of humor and topic, you should check out his writing here, and also his blog. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Clint Edwards, and the publisher.

[Donna Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to #NetGalley, Clint Edwards and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my review. Father-ish by Clint Edwards, is a no holds barred book about being the father of three young children. It is laugh out loud funny at times and at other times it makes the reader stop and reflect, with a bit of nostalgia, on their our own days as a parent. Edwards tells the reader about his parenting successes but he also tells about his parenting fails and we can learn a great deal from both. His story, "Sometimes on New Year's Eve, You Find Poop in Your Hallway" is hilarious and his story "My Son Paid Off His Debt with Birthday Money" is heartwarming. I was not familiar with Clint Edwards prior to reading this book but I will definitely seek out his other books I'm Sorry...Love Your Husband and Silence is a Scary Sound. I loved this book, make sure you grab a copy!

[Matt Trussell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always refreshing to know you aren't alone in this crazy journey of parenting. This book was filled with funny stories and honest mistakes that one father has made over the years of trying his darndest to get this thing right. I found many of these stories very relatable. It's nice to know you aren't the only parent saying things you never thought you'd ever utter, such as, "Don't look at your brother's butthole". We're all just doing the best we can as parents, hoping we don't screw things up too badly and that our kids won't need too much therapy as adults. Reading a book like this helps keep things in perspective. I'm doing alright and I'm not the only one who feels like they are flailing sometimes.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but I didn't find any of the tales to be laugh out loud funny. In fact, if you have to tell the reader in the subtitle that it's funny, that should be a big tip off that it's not. Most of his stories just made me roll my eyes and feel really sad for the poor kids who got stuck with this self absorbed blogger.

And though it didn't influence my low rating—the author earned that all by himself—I have to suggest that whoever formatted this book for Kindle should never ever be allowed to format another book for Kindle again. Suddenly for no apparent reason the text jumps from whatever your preferred font size might be to major breaking news headline sized font that you soon realize is a small passage ripped from the narrative blasted in your face. The book would be 1/3 the size without all those huge font blurbs. I'm assuming in the print version of the book those huge headlines are enclosed in a text box, but in the Kindle version the text just suddenly explodes in unexpected places, sometimes after it has appeared in regular size print and sometimes before. It's as if the editors realized that people would get bored with the stories and start swiping the page to get to the next story in hopes it would get better but would be stopped by the HEADLINES and think, "That's hilarious! I must start over." No, they just made me think, "Wasn't funny in normal size font. Still isn't funny in headline size font!"

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories and funny quotes was enjoyable to read. It's always nice to see how other people have failed and aren't perfect. There are just too many stars on social media that only want to highlight the good and make you think they have life figured out.

Edwards is not one of those people. "Father-Ish" captures various moments of fathering and husbanding gone wrong.

There are some pretty great laughs in there. There are also some dry spots in equal amount.

Overall, this is worth it for dads who struggle with having no clue at how to do the dad thing. It will also be affirming for those who, like me, have been making it up and doing our best as we go.

[Andy Hatchfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kind of hated this book. Just over the top cheesy stuff that made me want to roll my eyes constantly. Apparently the author writes a "Daddy blog" and this was a collection of those blogs. The formatting of how these blogs are collected is awkward where there is a pull quote on every page! Super obnoxious! Every single anecdote told is also summed up way too neatly at the end with a "heart warming" lesson or message. Blech! I think my wife might enjoy this book as I know she likes Mommy blogs but I can't imagine, and maybe this is sexist, many fathers enjoying this.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I follow Clint Edwards’ No Idea What I’m Doing page on social media, and I was excited to read one of his books. I will definitely be reading more of his books because parenting is ultimately funny. After the fact of most - interesting - encounters. Debacles. Whatever. Haha!

My reason for a 4 is the publishing style in which there is SO MUCH WASTED WHITE space with blurbs in bigger text that is already in the main writing. To fluff the book? Ehhhhh. Style preference, fine. On the flip side, I get “more pages read” as I am trying to start reading more anyway.

[Allison Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book by Edwards I’ve read, and while the other two were really enjoyable, I have to say that with this book, he’s hit his stride. I haven’t laughed out loud this much by myself since ... well, I can’t remember when I’ve laughed out loud this much when I was by myself. I listened to the audio book and Edwards does a great performance and made the text come to life. Would totally recommend.

[Delie Dell Chua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I bought by Mr Edwards. Just like the first book, I love his straight forwardness, his honesty on how it is to be a parent. It is not an easy job, there are a lot of trial and error along the way but we should give Our best and learn form Our mistakes. Though im not a parent biologically, im a early childhood and SPED teacher, I sure learned a lot!

Ive been following Mr Edwards fb Blog as well, learned a lot from his experiences :)

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, like an extended collection of the #relatable parenting tweet compilations. Some essaysI found really funny, others I think I just didn't mesh with Edwards's humor. And there were some really sweet essays, especially the final one, moments when the hard work of parenting is all worth it. A good read.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clint Edwards writes a funny, feel good, edition of “Father Never Knows Best.” By reliving his own insecurities and “failures” as a father he teaches the reader that parenting is not something that can be solved in three easy steps. For any parent who has felt overwhelmed or like a failure this book is sure to bring a sigh of relief as your realize that you are not alone in this.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Heart-warming.
Nice short stories of a father trying to figure parenting out.
My favorite story is the last story in this book in which the working parent becomes a stay at home parent and realizes how much work it is. LOVELY. I wish I could get my husband to read it.
The story about the gingerbread house is also fantastic.
But, alas, all of these short stories are great.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately not as enthralling for me as his first book but still a solid read. Humorous in parts and actually chock full of good heartfelt moments and some words of wisdom here and there. If nothing else, for a parent, it’ll let you know that you’re not alone in the word of parenting and whatever bad thing you think you’ve done, you’re also not alone in it.

[Alyssa Cerretti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of funny parenting stories told by a dad. Many are laugh-out-loud funny; I could not read this book in bed at night because I would inevitably start laughing and wake up my husband. There were a few slow parts, but overall pretty funny.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a funny relatable book. It is NOT a parenting advice book, just a book about funny tales about one father’s experience. I don’t agree with some of his approaches, but it is honest, hilarious, and relatable as I am sure many don’t agree with all of my own parenting approaches.

[Jeneece Western · Rating 4 out of 5]

He is hilarious. Do yourself a favor and pick it up and enjoy laughing at (or with) him. So much more funny when it's not you cleaning it up or making the mistakes. Nice to hear the male voice in the child rearing world.

[Killian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really wonderful book. Easy to read and full of proper laughs at the mishaps we all have in fatherhood. There's genuine love in this book and it doesn't feel any way schmaltzy or forced. Recommend this to all fathers

[Karen Malin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book that I read in bits and pieces. Clint works hard at parenting and shows the good, bad, and ugly pieces of it. He is not afraid of showing his failures--especially the ones that he thought were going to work so well. (We've sure all had those.) Fun, entertaining book.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughing out loud and needing a tissue for tears - it's a crazy life being a parent and Edwards' honest approach to telling the tale is refreshing and fun.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny! I really did have some laugh out loud moments in this book which was awesome since I just finished a book about the Romanovs!

[Rhonda]

I wanted to love this book, but it’s target audience just wasn’t me.

[Adam Bricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some funny musings, wins and losses in the adventures of parenting.

[Thomas Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clint's stories are funny and very touching.

[Nancy Sherod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously so so fun!!! Hilarious!!!

[TJ Breitmeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read for any parent or step parent. Clint captures the spirit of raising small humans in the most appropriate ways.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, very enjoyable tales of being a father! Edwards doesn't hide anything, is honest and hilarious, and very much a real dad. I enjoyed listening to the author reading his own book!

[Salvatore Farieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a father of a 2-year old boy, I greatly appreciated this book. It is simply hilarious and a good light read. If you want a good laugh, you can't go wrong with this book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, not so funny. I felt like most experiences had big build ups for not a lot of pay out laughs.

[Mason Kirksey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a fun read and a good reminder of how to have fun with parenthood. Several times my wife gave me the "why on earth are you laughing at a book" look.

[MaraReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and completely relatable.