Daddin' - A book review

Dion McInnis has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking book about fatherhood. Daddin' relates the story of Dion's own fatherhood experiences raising his sons, balancing work and life, surviving divorce and keeping perspective through it all. If you are a dad who wishes that "fathering" had the same connotation as "mothering," then you will enjoy Daddin' - The Verb of Being a Dad.

In Daddin', Dion McInnis has offered a poignant and thought-provoking memoir of fatherhood. The title of the book comes from Dion's observation that while the word "mothering" connotes nurturing, teaching and valuing, the term "fathering" tends to be seen as related only to procreation. After all, when we read of a woman who "mothered" her children, it is all about how she raised them. A man who "fathers" a child is only seen in a sexual connotation. So Dion has used the word "daddin'" to refer to the way a father raises and nurtures his children. Taking the theme of fatherhood as a verb, Dion has written a book which will engage any committed father and help him think about the actions of being a dad.

Daddin' begins recollections about his father and family, and then moves into his early days of fatherhood. He progresses through with prose, poem and story to relate his own feelings about these experiences and how he has developed his sense of fatherhood. The various chapters of the book walk through other verbs about fatherhood, including learning, loving, playing, fishing, and growing. Near the end, he tackles perhaps the most challenging verbs in a father's vocabulary - leaving and living.

Written in an intensely personal style, Daddin' is a book which will give any dad a bit or pause and will help him evaluate his own commitment and actions as a father. Dion sets a great example of a father committed to his sons and their growing up process, even as they move out on their own to college, marriage and fatherhood themselves.

Divorced dads will particularly appreciate Dion's insights as he moves through the separation and divorce process and works with his boys as they deal with the changes in their life and their family, and subsequently Dion's second marriage. The insights he offers about this particular challenges are really helpful for any dad finding himself in a similar situation.

Overall, I really enjoyed Daddin' and would recommend it to any father. At over 300 pages, it will take a bit of time to read, but the insights, inspiration and thought involved will be worth the investment. I will be a better dad and a better man for having read Dion McInnis's Daddin'.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.