It’s fab to welcome my pal, bestselling author and blogger Matt Coyne who is sharing an extract from his brilliantly wee-your-pants funny book Dummy: The Comedy and Chaos of Real-Life Parenting. You can also enter to win a copy of his must-have book too. I have 3 to giveaway along with some Man Vs Baby merchandise too! Good luck!
Extract from ‘Dummy’
Chapter 10 – Judgements and Revelations
Of all the many reasons I have heard for why I’m a bad parent the ‘age’ one is the most interesting, and it’s also the one I hear most often. Just to clarify I’m forty-two. I’m not the same age as Yoda, I’m not sat at home watching Murder, She Wrote with a blanket on my legs, banging on about the war. But, for a sizeable number of commentators, forty seems to be some sort of cut-off point, beyond which apparently you’re just too close to death to be a parent.
I even had a woman commenting that forty was definitely too old to be a parent because ‘As a teacher’, she’d seen the heartbreak caused ‘when an older parent dies, leaving the school-age child devastated.’ Well, I hope this woman doesn’t teach f****** maths. Because, by my reckoning, if I live to the average age of eighty-five, Charlie will be forty-odd by the time I cark it. So if he’s still in school and in short trousers then, he’s got bigger problems.
The truth is that, as a parent, there is no escape from petty judgements. For these people, I am too old to be a good dad and (whilst you may be in the flush of youth) for these broken, bitter few you will no doubt be too young, or too poor, too easy-going or too cautious, too married, too unmarried, too gay, too mumsy or too unmumsy, too disorganised or too obsessive, maybe you work or maybe you don’t work, etc., etc. No one is immune. Make no mistake, someone somewhere thinks you are a bad parent.
Not to worry.
The logic of most of these opinions is enough to make your brain cry. And if you come across someone who measures a parent not by their care and love, but by their age, gender, bank balance, sexuality, whether their child is IVF, or whatever, then you’re most likely dealing with a dribbling idiot, a person capable of all the considered thoughtfulness of a potato.
These attitudes seem like simplistic views of parenthood, but the really idiotic thing? The truth is actually so much more simple and every shred of evidence proves it: all of this stuff is irrelevant. If you love and care about your kid, the chances are that they will become the best of you. If you don’t, they won’t.
That’s it.
So link arms with the bad parent to your left, take the hand of the sh**** parent to your right, and with one voice tell the ‘someone somewhere’s that they are welcome to go f*** themselves. And as for Greg, you, sir, can kiss my ageing balls.
UK only
Ends 1st September 2017.
No cash alternative.
If the winners don’t respond within 7 days of the email being sent, new winners will be randomly selected.
Promoted on Prize finder, BritMums, umeandthekids.com, Loquax, Super Lucky and Competition Database.
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The book looks amazing!
I’d like to win for my husband. I’m sure he’d enjoy this. Thanks for the chance.
for a mate who is about to be a new father
I’d love to win this book as it sounds fun and a good read.
My little sister just had her first baby and I think this would be a great little gift for her birthday next month, would also save me having to think what on earth to buy her 😉
I would love to win this book for my son
Heard great things about this book.
Would love to win a copy.
It looks a really entertaining book
i love funny parenting books that i can relate to
I very rarely read books, but once in a while I like to read something light hearted, this looks like the type of book I would enjoy!
like to win for our grandson
looks like a funny book
Love to win it for my friends
Parenting is not often the subject of humour so this would be great to read.
It looks like a fun read.
Sounds like a funny read
I’d love to win this as it sounds like a great read!
Love both blogs! Can’t wait to read the book!
Looks super fun 🙂
Lovely blog!
I’d like to compare this with how I have coped.
It looks like a funny book
Looks really funny, i would love to read it.
I’d like to hear how someone else coped with being a father.
Looks like a fun book!
this looks fab, i would love to win for Hubby!
It sounds like a really fun book
Sounds like a funny and real life read
It sounds like a great read.
I’ve been wanting to get this for my husbands birthday! His Facebook is hilarious
I would love to win as this would be a fantastic surprise for my friend.
jack would love this
This looks like a great gift for my nephew, who’s baby’s due soon xx
This looks like a really funny book and I can’t believe that guy made that comment about his age (and was unable to put a proper sentence together!)
Ive heard its a great book…
This would be great for my husband our baby is due in 4 days
I’d love to win this…it sounds really funny – I bet we can all identify with many of the situations it describes? x
Would make a great present for my friend x
They appear to be a fun books must try them
sounds really good
My sister is expecting at the minute and I would love to win this for her and her hubby to have a good laugh.
The extract above is hilarious so I’d love to read more like that!!
It sounds funny.
It’s hilarious!
looks good would love to win x
I’m due on 4th November, so would love to give this to my fiancé for when the baby is born.
I love a good book to read, and this looks like a good one
It sounds funny and uplifting 🙂
I’d love to win! I’ve had my eye on this book for ages, Matt’s writing and approaches to the ups and downs of parenting is hilarious! I’m really into parenting books at the minute (the funny/blogger written ones haha) and I’d love this to be on my “read” list xx
Sounds interesting. I would love to read it.
it sounds an amazing read
With a new baby within the family, this book looks like a good gift for baby’s Dad.