Do Pirates Wear Pajamas?: And Other Mysteries in the Adventure of Fathering

Book excerpt: "It's not an adventure unless it's a little scary!" The lessons of fathering are the character of God Whatever you don't forgive your father for, you'll do to your son. Many years ago, in a land far, too far away, my three-year-old son sat excitedly on my lap before bedtime while together we read a picture book based on Treasure Island. As Long John Silver, cutlass in hand, chased young Jim across the page and through the jungle, the boy within my arms suddenly knit his brow and looked up at me. "Daddy," he burst out, "do pirates wear pajamas?" Startled, I drew back. "Uh, well, that's...uh, a really great question!" I managed. When I was a much younger man and unmarried, my father once told me, "If you never have children, you'll miss out on one of life's greatest adventures." He was right. WELCOME TO THE ADVENTURE OF FATHERING In these impacting real-life stories, you'll meet a bestselling Christian author who's a dad in on-the-job training-sometimes stumbling, sometimes celebrating, always learning. Experience teaches us the best lessons. But too often, we men miss the experience because we fear the shame of not knowing how to do it. There's good news here for dads: We're in this adventure together as men and the Father of us all stands with us. You don't have to know how to do it. You just have to know Who does it. Never trust a dad without spit-up on his pajamas. Like Jesus, the child restores innocence to this world. Watch for what God is doing in your child, and bless it.