I'm reading a book called Babyproofing Your Marriage from HarperCollins, and can hardly put it down (thanks for the recommendation Felicia!). Even though my kids are long past their baby years, this book's subtitle "How to laugh more, argue less, and communicate better as your family grows" is definitely living up to its claim!

Check out my review comments on "Babyproofing Your Marriage" in the Recommended Reading section. This book is definitely worth reading... no matter how old your kids are. In fact, they should have titled it "Kidproofing Your Marriage" because it's applicable to parents with all ages of children up through even elementary school.

Why focus on a marriage book in a daddy blog?

Yeah, I know this isn't "hub-eblog", but the authors of this book said it best: "A husband and wife's relationship is the linchpin of the family. When it falters, a child's world is unhinged." Powerful words, and absolutely the truth!

UPDATED Apr 13, 2007:

My favorite part of the book so far is it's emphasis on helping dads understand literally what the hell happened to their wives once the kids arrived, and explaining who is the strange person now occupying their bodies.

There's this thing called a "Mommy Chip" that gets activated after that first child is born... definitely worth reading about if you're trying to understand why sex is usually the last thing on her mind, and why you feel like the kids get all the attention and you're just a means to a paycheck.

But be warned - you'll hear from the wive's perspectives as well, and it might completely change the way you think about your marriage relationship. It hits hard at times, and made me squirm - even put the book down and wait a few days to pick it back up... but I'm glad I did, and it continues to provide me with plenty of challenging and encouraging thoughts that I think will make me a better dad.