Skip to main content

Dad is Fat


I want to thank Jim Gaffigan for being the sole source of joy in an otherwise dreary day. My apologies to anyone who might do the math and realize that they were with me on the day I listened to this book. But I'm not backing off my words.

Jim Gaffigan, who you may know as the 'Hot Pocket' comic, did everyone a favor when he read his own book. Because now his book became a longer version of his stand-up shows. I, for one, am a big fan. Jim is mostly clean (warning: there are a few spicy parts that I could do without). He avoids the pitfalls of many of today's comics while actually being funny.

I don't want to overstate this, but give credit where credit is due. The fact that so many comics seem incapable of being funny and clean must make Gaffigan a genius at his craft.

Dad is Fat is great parenting advice, which is to say there is very little you, as responsible parents, should try to implement. However, if you appreciate the fact that parenting is likely the hardest thing to do well, and if you are attempting to do it well, then you will appreciate hearing from Jim on his parenting adventures.

Jim waxes eloquent about feeding kids, having kids (he has 5), getting kids to sleep and dealing with parents of other kids. All the while he does so in his classic comedic nature, using multiple voices and self-deprecating throughout.

I don't know how much I'd be able to use this book as material for sermon illustrations. After all, quoting Jim Gaffigan might not have the same punch as quoting Jesus, although Jim attempts to do so throughout the book. But the advantage in listening to the book is realizing you are definitely not alone in this crazy adventure we call parenting.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Got this book for my birthday and loved it! Great stuff from a family man!
-Heath

Popular posts from this blog

Accountable

I recently officiated a wedding. The ceremony was simple, lovely, and ended with another couple professing to keep the covenant of marriage. But it all started with a clarification...from me. At our first premarital counseling session, as I have done with every couple I have agreed to marry, I clarified a couple of matters. First, I officiate Christian weddings, where both spouses-to-be are professing Christians. I firmly believe that marriage is difficult enough, without adding disagreements about God into the mix. Second, as a minister of Jesus Christ, I believe the pastor’s role in a wedding is to represent the blessing of God on that union. So we have several sessions of premarital counseling where we discuss married life. It’s not that I have this imaginary card in my head, with a picture of me on the front and my stats on the back. (You know, like a baseball card.) Ok, I do picture cards. Pastor cards! And being a competitive guy, I want my stats to look good. The number of coupl

Patience

I am more than halfway through the last year of dropping one of my children off at school. It's my eighth grade daughter, for anyone keeping track of my family.  See, next year she will be at the high school, and her brother will drive her. He says that it's not cool for seniors to drive their freshman sister to school, but I bet it's cooler than being dropped off by your mom in a minivan.  So rather than groan about this daily responsibility, I've been reminiscing about what the drop-off line used to look like, way back in elementary school. Once our children were about halfway through their elementary years, the drop-off line became a test of patience.  Do you know which group you do not want to get caught behind in the parent drop-off line at an elementary school? The kindergartners. These little ones are barely able to walk, but now we put them in the high-pressure situation of trying to unbuckle their seat-belt, grab their backpack (which might be as tall as they a

Jury Duty

I was recently summoned to jury duty. I know, groan. Except I didn't. I had never experienced it before and was curious to see what it was like.   When the day to report arrives, they separate you into groups, asking various questions to decide if you will be selected to serve. Do you know the accused? Do you have conflicts that would keep you from serving? Can you stay focused?  I wanted to answer well, if only because my kids kept wishing me luck the day before, telling me they hoped I made the team. After all, who wants to be rejected? It occurred to me that there are things you probably shouldn’t say right away if you’re wanting to serve on a jury. I know, I know, people don’t typically want to serve on a jury. But that list didn’t seem nearly as humorous to me. Here are the things you probably shouldn’t say if you want to be selected for jury. I hold myself in contempt. You can’t handle the truth. We find the defendant guilty. I believe the judge looks pretty in his robe. I’d