As patterns of family and work have changed over the last few decades, the decision to have children has often been delayed. Recent Census data show that more and more men in their forties and fifties are having children - either for the first time or in second families. In Fathers of a Certain Age, father and son Martin and David Carnoy interview dozens of these fathers, exploring how they feel about parenting small children in late middle age. As they talk with fathers from all over the country, and with their wives and children as well, the Carnoys ask questions at the heart of the issues. Do older fathers, secure in their careers and ready to make time for family, make better fathers? Or is parenting, with the energy and stamina it requires, best left to the young? Is the threat of an older father dying earlier in a child's life more or less valid than the threat that a younger father will be divorced from the child's mother and leave the family? Is an older father, more stable financially, better able to provide for a child? Or does he risk trying to finance his retirement and a college education at the same time? The answers to these questions - searching, honest, and sometimes surprising - are combined here with an examination of the social and economic pressures facing older fathers, and the personal adjustments that they and their families must make. The result is an evenhanded assessment of the challenges and rewards of older fathering that will reassure anyone contemplating or coping with having children in late middle age.

A philosophical memoir about becoming a father in an increasingly terrible world – can I hope the child growing in my partner's womb will have a good-enough life? For Kant, philosophy boiled down to three key questions: “What can I know?”, “What ought I do?”, and “What can I hope for?” In philosophy departments, that third question has largely been neglected at the expense of the first two – even though it is crucial for understanding why anyone might ask them in the first place. In Infinitely Full of Hope, as he prepares to become a father for the first time, the philosopher Tom Whyman attempts to answer Kant’s third question, trying to make sense of it in the context of a world that increasingly seems like it is on the verge of collapse. Part memoir, part theory, and part reflection on fatherhood, Infinitely Full of Hope asks how we can cling to hope in a world marked by crisis and disaster.

"In Do Fathers Matter? the award-winning journalist and father of five Paul Raeburn overturns the many myths and stereotypes of fatherhood as he examines the latest scientific findings on the parent we've often overlooked. Drawing on research from neuroscientists, animal behaviorists, geneticists, and developmental psychologists, among others, Raeburn takes us through the various stages of fatherhood, revealing the profound physiological connections between children and fathers, from conception through adolescence and into adulthood--and the importance of the relationship between mothers and fathers. In the process, he challenges the legacy of Freud and mainstream views of parental attachment, and also explains how we can become better parents ourselves."--www.Amazon.com.

A hilarious tribute to baseball and to the fathers and sons who share the love of the game. Are We Winning? is built around a trip to Wrigley Field to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play the Chicago Cubs--the "lovable losers" to most fans but the hated enemy to the Leitch men. Along for the ride are both Will's father, the gregarious but not-exactly demonstrative Midwestern titan who, despite being a die-hard Cards fan and living his whole life just 200 miles south of Chicago, had never been to Wrigley Field before this game, and Will's college friend, a lifelong Cubs fan. The Cardinals have recently fallen out of the pennant race, and the Cubs, as it turns out, are attempting to clinch the division on this Saturday afternoon in September. The pitchers are Ted Lilly for the Cubs and Joel Pineiro for the Cardinals. It's just a regular game. Play ball. The book unfolds in half-inning increments where Will gives one-of-a-kind insight on the past, present, and future of the game--from Pujols' unrivaled greatness to the myth that steroids have ruined baseball. Along the way, he shares memories of his father and growing up in the small town of Mattoon, including the year his dad coached his Little League team and nicknamed a scrawny kid "Bulldog," and an unlikely postgame episode involving a biker bar and Mr. Holland's Opus. And there is beer. Lots and lots of beer. Are We Winning? is a book about the indelible bond that links fathers and sons. For the Leitch men it's baseball that holds them together--not that either of them would ever be so weak as to admit it. No matter how far apart they are or what's going on in their lives, they'll always be able to talk about baseball. It's the story of being a fan, a story about fathers, sons, and legacies. And one perfect game.

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9 NIV). Fathers do things. The Father so loved us that He did something about it--He sent His Son. God has a plan to reveal Himself to the world through fathers and mothers. It is our greatest privilege to follow the example of a perfect Father, in turn, revealing Him to our sons and daughters and leaving a legacy that continues to grow for generations to come. Things Fathers Do is a book about the things that God does and how we, both men and women, can best manifest Him through our lives to the people around us. It is time for us to step into our roles as mothers and fathers, demonstrating to the world the things fathers do.

After Eric Davis spent over 16 years in the military, including a decade in the SEAL Teams, his family was more than used to his absence on deployments and secret missions that could obscure his whereabouts for months at a time. Without a father figure in his own life since the age of fifteen, Eric was desperate to maintain the bonds he’d fought so hard to forge when his children were young—particularly with his son, Jason, because he knew how difficult it was to face the challenge of becoming a man on one’s own. Unfortunately, Eric learned the hard way that Quality Time doesn’t always show up in Quantity Time. Facebook, television, phones, video games, school, jobs, friends—they all got in the way of a real, meaningful father-son relationship. It was time to take action. As a SEAL, Eric learned to innovate and push boundaries, allowing him to function at levels beyond what was expected, comfortable, ordinary, and even imaginable, and he knew that as a father he needed to do the same with his son. Meeting extreme with extreme was the only answer. Using a unique blend of discipline, leadership, adventure, and grace, Eric and his SEAL brothers will teach you how to connect, and reconnect, with your sons and learn how to raise real men—the Navy SEAL way.

A ""Chicken Soup"" collection of 52 inspiring stories about remarkable dads. What they do. What they say. How they change the lives of their kids. Each story is shared with us by a daughter or son (age 4 to 81). This book is filled with family photos. The writing style is unique. It flows like melted butter and reads with a rhythm and smoothness rarely seen. Read about the dad who coldly fired his son from the family business...but then helped that young man to a fabulous life. Or the father and son trucking along together on a dusty back road...and what happened with that Playboy Magazine they found in the dirt. Your heart will go out to four-year old Janie Hite. She was born with serious medical problems that will endure for life. Read her story about a dad who reached out desperately in the middle of the night to save her life. Endorsed by Harvey Mackay (""Swim with the Sharks"" fame) and Mark Victor Hansen (""Chicken Soup"" fame), this may be the best book of 2013.