What was your first impression?

Not being the fastest reader in the world I felt that the book was
bound to take at least two days to read. It didn't. It did take
about sixty minutes!

What's it about?

The central idea of the book is how to maximise the limited time you have
with your children while they are still children. Other chapters
covered building positive relationships with your children, such as the power
of praise, unconditional acceptance and how to handle discipline effectively.

What did you like about it?

It was very effective at getting you to evaluate the time you spend at work
and spend with your children. It doesn't pull any punches about how easy
it is for men to get tied up with working long hours and missing so much of
their children's early years. The book makes a lot of constructive suggestions
for improving your relationship with your kids and is easy to read.

What didn't you like?

Even though I strongly agree with the message of this book, I had a hard
time actually liking it. It felt oppressive with it's continual focus
on the idea that most fathers are not doing enough with their children, and
time is so short before you've lost them forever. It almost felt
like the author was saying that no matter what you do, it will never be enough.

What will you still remember a year from now?

That we have such a short time while our children are small and enjoy spending
time with us and looking up to us.

Who would you recommend this book to?

Anyone who hardly sees their children due to work pressures.

Can you give us a couple of good quotes from the book?

"In a survey fathers were spending three minutes a day talking with
their children but the research also showed that the children were watching
three hours of television a day"

The problem for children is that they do not have the power of bosses, customers,
or colleagues. Whether it's a bedtime story with a toddler, making a model
with a ten-year-old, or helping a teenager with a history project, we can so
easily put them off with, "We'll do it tomorrow."

"The power of praise is awesome. There is hardly a person on the
face of the earth who does not respond to it. Most of us know how effective
it can be in a work situation, but forget that to a child it can be like rain
in the desert"