Dad Rules Hardcover – 29 May 2008

I first came across Andrew Clover in his Dad Rules column in the Sunday Times and, even though I didn’t have children at the time, always found them incredibly entertaining. So when we were expecting our first child this was the obvious go to parenting book. There is something about Andrew’s writing that captures the magic of being a dad and created a template for the sort of dad I wanted to be. He has a way of looking at and describing the everyday ordinary things a parent experiences and makes them seem the extraordinary experiences they should be. This may not be a practical book about what to do as a parent but it is a book about how it think about being a parent. Which, to me, ended up being so much more important.

If you only read the first line of reviews (like I do usually!) then please buy this book - you will LOVE it.Andrew CLover writes the weekly column in the Sunday Times Style magazine - that makes me laugh out loud. That's why I bought the book.It's arrival was perfect timing (i think!). It arrived on the same day that my partner and I found out that we are expecting our first child. I then spent the rest of the day in a state of mild panic, nausea and hungover (didnt realise i was pregnant when drinking cocktails the night before). I think that the author would not be too disapproving.....I think that the book is written for anyone with a slightly wicked sense of humour. I love the emotional part "saying the word sorry is like getting out kicthen roll". And the absolute honesty that not everything will be perfect. 1). I am more likely to be a slummy mummy, rather than yummy mummy. 2). That parenthood will stretch our every patience and skill, that we should rememeber to have fun with our child, that is what why we have them.Buy the book ...... my sales pitch is over. Wish me luck.....

Well we bought this book a month ago and both my husband and I found it highly amusing, then went to see Andrew at the theatre last night - I have not laughed so much in my life!! Absolutely brilliant, thoroughly recommend this book (and see him live if you can!).

Got this as a Father's Day present and was really looking forward to reading it as I could do with some morale support as a father (only father's will understand how marriage is all about the bride and then kids come along and you actually have very little standing in life). If you're looking for a genuine book to provide you with some good ideas then I'd be wary of this one. Written by someone who doesn't have a regular job and is then forced to stop at home to look after his children and sometimes manages to get a stand-up comedy job and relies on smoking weed to get him through it, it didn't quite do what I was hoping. As a humorous light-hearted look at fatherhood from a comedian then it's probably quite good but not if you're actually seeking something which will help.

The book is very easy to read and very funny (especially the first few chapters)You need to read this to find out for yourself! :-)

I bought it to persuade my husband... no news from him yet, but I thought this book was brilliant - funny, truthful, and yet, very pro-children

As anyone who has become a parent recently will know there are a plethora of books available to help you get through those first few weeks, months, years. The sheer volume of titles is in itself unhelpful before we even start to consider how contradictory they all are. Driven through desperation to actually consult the health service with a question you will usually be greeted by the stock reply: 'Well, every baby is different' ('Yes, but is its vomit supposed to be green or do we have an exorcist-style situation going on here?').Driven by a similar regard for the 200-plus page tomes he saw, Andrew Colver decided to write this book (you may have come across his musings in the Sunday Times Style magazine in the Dad Rules column) which he begins by condensing his parenting experience into three sentences 1. Don't be reading two-hundred page books. Try to sleep. 2. Don't let them suck too long, or mum's nip will really hurt. 3. Get out of the way when they puke.That gives you a pretty good idea of the tone. Clover is a comedian and actor, so the book is filled with great one-liners. There have been plenty of jokes made about the emotional state of a woman in labour but nobody has put it quite so well as he does: 'You don't mess with a woman in labour. Even if she decides she wants to eat the baby, I'll back her up.'He doesn't do much to dispel the myth that men are just big boys until they're forced to grow up by a woman (and even then they're just pretending to be grown up) but his innocence/ignorance makes him an entertaining guide into the world of parenting. What he really discovers is how to be happy. As we follow his stuttering acting career, his reliance on the weed to cope with comedy gigs, childcare, and just about anything really, he slowly learns to trust his instincts when looking after his daughters. If you're knackered, get creative:'"You know what would be a really nasty trick?" I say. "If I fell asleep and, when I woke up, someone had painted all over my back."I put my head on the table, and have a quiet doze. They paint my back. It's absolutely delicious. It feels like I'm being massaged by fairies.'There are some refreshingly honest thoughts from a male perspective too.'They say that women forget the pain of childbirth or they'd never do it again. Similarly, men must forget the pain of living with a pregnant woman, or the whole world would be like China. Families would have one child each. They'd also have fewer wardrobes.'He does occasionally sound a little sentimental, as when he mentions that all his friends have become famous or disappeared but that's ok because he's bred two perfect companions. And as someone who can only dream of living in a place like Muswell Hill, the hard luck/no money story wore a little thin but where this book really succeeds is not with childcare philosophy or any kind of life lessons but with the relentless sense of humour which reminds you that as hard as it is, as tiring as it can be, it's still the best thing you'll ever do.

I bought this for my husband for Father's Day soon after we found out we were expecting our first child. He absolutely loved it! It's a hilarious look at fatherhood. Really difficult to put down and we both read it cover to cover in a few days. We would highly recommend it to anyone expecting a baby, or those with children already or anyone else really. Fantastic book and great value for money!