Benjamin Watson - The New Dads Playbook: Gearing Up for the Biggest Game of Your Life

Several years ago I was chatting with Benjamin on the phone and he mentioned that he was considering writing a manual for fathers in order to help them through the pregnancy and birthing process. I was thrilled. Of course you should write this book, I remember telling him. The world needs to hear from great men and fathers! Little did I know then what I know nowthat Benjamin was not going to write a simple manual of how-tos for fathers, but rather he was going to write a masterpiece. And that is exactly what this book is: a masterpiece that combines clear guidance for fathers on what they need to do, how they need to think, and why they should lean on God during one of the most challenging and precious times in their lives. It is not a simple guidebook on fathering. Benjamin gives the reader a peek into how men experience a process that, for far too long, has been written about only to help mothers. I am so proud that he has cracked the mold and been courageous enough to speak on behalf of the overlooked parentsdads.

As a pediatrician of thirty years, I have listened to literally thousands of fathers. I have heard your stories about how you feel excluded from bonding with your babies, your fear over what pregnancy and child-rearing may do to your relationships with your wives, and also your doubts about whether you have what it takes to be great dads. I know firsthand how critical you are in your childrens lives because I have seen the pain your wives and children feel when you leave. And I have been blessed to watch many more of you fathers hang in there through the rough times with your wives and kids. I am thrilled to know that after you read this book, you will have more encouragement, more knowledge, and a clearer sense of your deep value to your children and to their mothers. We need you good men.

Benjamin will teach you many things about pregnancy and birthing that you never knew. I learned many things from reading this book, and in fact, I wish that my own physician husband had this book when I was pregnant! Benjamin teaches men in a gentle but firm way how they can help their wives. He shows us women how men think and what you feel while we are pregnant. After reading this, I felt badly for all of the men who have gone through their wives pregnancies and not had necessary help. The truth is, encouraging, teaching, and supporting fathers on all levels is long overdue in America. It is high time that we women pay attention to the fathers of our children. In that vein, I encourage every pregnant woman to read this book too. But I will issue a warning: you will feel jealous of Benjamins wife, Kirsten, for a while, because she hit the jackpot when it comes to husbands! Benjamin describes being able to read her moods and figure out what type of help made her feel most lovedgifts, time, or rest. And you will read that he even sat in a football locker room and ordered her maternity clothes! See what I mean? I honestly have never known another man who has done that. But those character qualitieskindness, empathy, and insightare what make Benjamin the perfect author of this book. He lives what he teaches. He is the real deal.