Christopher Healy


TABLE OF CONTENTS


INTRODUCTION: Not Your Father’s Fatherhood


PART I: PREGNANCY, THE MANDATORY WAITING PERIOD

CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST TRIMESTER

    READY OR NOT: Finding Out and What Comes After
    MOODY BLUES: You vs. Your Wife’s Hormones
    THE DOCTOR FROM ANOTHER ERA: Is Your OB OK?
    ABSTINENCE EDUCATION: Everything’s Off-limits for Her – What About You?
    HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE: The Unfortunate Necessity of Coming Out as an Expectant Dad

CHAPTER 2: THE SECOND TRIMESTER
    THE APPELLATION TRAIL: Naming Names
    LET’S GET PHILOSOPHICAL: What Makes a Good Parent?
    IN THE BEDROOM: What About Sex?
    THE ULTRASOUND AND THE FURY: The Rigors of Prenatal Testing
    CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?: Getting to Know Your Fetus

CHAPTER 3: THE THIRD TRIMESTER

    PRIDE AND PREGNANCY: How Much Help is Too Much?
    SHOWER POWER: The Joy of Getting
    WHAT YOU NEED: Stuff
    PARENTING PREP: Taking Classes
    D-DAY: The Delivery   

PART II: HEY, THIS IS DIFFERENT: THE TRANSITION

CHAPTER 4: NUCLEAR TESTING: How Dad, Mom and Baby Find a Rhythm as a New Family    
                 

    THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER: Meet Your New Roommate
    THE ART OF WAR: Arguing in Front of a Baby
    BOY WONDER: Which Parent is the Sidekick?
    NURSING A GRUDGE: Breastfeeding –– With or Without You
    EXIT SANDMAN: Sleep Deprivation and You

    VISITING HOURS: The Pros and Cons of Postpartum Houseguests
    OFF THE CHARTS: Milestone Madness

PART III: PEOPLE ARE STRANGE (WHEN YOU’RE A FATHER

CHAPTER 5: YOU’RE ALWAYS A CHILD TO THEM

    THE SPOILERS: Grandparents Determined to Do Things Their Way
    IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
    MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOUR SORRY: The Ups and Downs of Fibbing to Your Family
    NOT-SO-GRANDPARENTS
    LONG-DISTANCE GRANDPARENTING
    YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN: A Family-Gathering Survival Guide

CHAPTER 6: FRIENDS –– THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

    TRIAL BY DIAPER: Old Friends Put to the Test
    THE OLD PROS: Friends with Kids
    MARRIED FATHER SEEKS SAME FOR PLAYDATES, HAND-ME-DOWNS:  Making New
Parent-Friends           
    BOB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE AND THEIR KIDS: Family Dating

CHAPTER 7: WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

    PLAYDATE POLITICS: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
    IT’S MY PARTY AND I’LL BUY IF I WANT TO
    HOSTILE ENCOUNTERS: What is Wrong with These People?       

PART IV: THE (RUG)RAT RACE: WORK & HOME

CHAPTER 8: MEN AT WORK

WORKING DADS NEED LOVE, TOO
    HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE DOUBLE-STANDARD
       
CHAPTER 9: HOMEWARD BOUND

    SO WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?
    RETURN OF THE MOTHER
       
CHAPTER 10: IN THE COMPANY OF MEN

    MIX & MATCH: Dads Group Open Admissions
    HY DO WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?
    NOTHING BUT NET: Dads on the Web
   

CHAPTER 11: SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER THEM

    ON YOUR TURF
    ON THEIR TURF

PART V: WORLDS COLLIDE

CHAPTER 12: EXTREME MAKOVER HOME EDITION
   
    PARENTING THROUGH ART DIRECTION: Setting the Scene for the Perfect Child
    THE SAFETY DANCE

CHAPTER 13: FASHION FAUX PA

    THE UNITED COLORS OF FATHERHOOD: Your Style Meets Daddy Style
    THE BJöRN IDENTITY: Being a Kangaroo Dad
    THE WHEEL MAN
    THE BAG MAN

CHAPTER 14: SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL: CHILDREN’S TELEVISION
   
    THE HIGH-DEFINITION SKELETON IN THE CLOSET
    THE OPIATE OF THE MASSES: The Zombification Effect
    IT’S AN AD, AD, AD, AD WORLD: The Insidious Evil of Commercials
    MASTERS OF OUR DOMAIN: Watching with Your Child
    ADULT ENTERTAINMENT: Your Child, Homer, and You

CHAPTER 15: SONG SUNG BLUES

    ROCK YOUR BABY: Kid-Friendly Grown-up Music
    CROSSOVER APPEAL: Grown-up-Friendly Kids’ Music
   
CHAPTER 16: A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

    LITERATURE THROUGH THE AGES: Reading to Infants vs. Reading to Toddlers
    ABANDONED BY OPRAH: Good Book? Bad Book?

CHAPTER 17: DADS IN TOYLAND

    THE RISE OF THE MACHINES: Wishing the Batteries Weren’t Included
    PLAYS NICE WITH OTHERS: Man Meets Toy
    CONTROLLER ISSUES: The Video Gaming Father   

PART VI: THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

CHAPTER 18: STEPPING OUT WITH MY BABY

    MEET MR. PIZZA-FACE: Dining Out
    DINNER AND A MOVIE?
    HAVE BABY –– WILL TRAVEL
   
CHAPTER 19: LEISURE REHAB

    24-MINUTE PARTY PEOPLE: Too Much, Too Soon
    TOO BUSY TO GET BUSY: Finding Sex Again