"Daddy"- The Birth of a Father [REVIEW]

In a world where fathers are becoming equally, if not more involved in the upbringing of their children, Tuhin Sinha’s new book ‘DADDY - The birth of a father’ is a must read for every new age dad.  Based primarily on his personal experience, the author adds anecdotes from the experiences of other fathers and includes professional pieces from renowned pediatricians and child psychologists. It comes as a first of its kind book in addressing the questions and anxieties of just born fathers.

Says Tuhin in his book, “If a woman can juggle responsibilities so beautifully, I don’t see why we should be left behind.” DADDY has a story to tell of how a man's inability to endure the physical pain of child-birth doesn't in any way stop him from being his wife’s pillar of support. Reading it indeed proves that sharing the responsibilities of parenting can be an amazing experience.

The lack of a Paternity leave in India for fathers means that a large part of the load of child care falls on the mother. However, there are various other ways in which a father can help to ensure the welfare of the new born.

The book is neatly divided into 6 Sections with each of them being divided into separate chapters. Every chapter ends with a ‘Things to Remember’ where the chief points of that chapter are summarized in bullet-pointers.

Beginning with helping one to decide on what the right time to become a parent is, the book goes on to explain what a man is to do right upon knowing that his wife is pregnant. It highlights the essentials that need to be ensured amid all the joy and delight of the good news.

Successive chapters help to understand how a man is to treat his wife during the course of 9 months of pregnancy. The various fears about birth related complications expecting parents often feel are dealt with in a thorough and comprehensive manner.

The author’s personal experiences during Labour Day in the hospital and the baby’s homecoming are interesting and in many ways an essential read. The boons and banes of the role played by the grandparents have been justly represented and are undeniable. The book deals with many anxieties that arise in the minds of first time fathers due to the lack of proper medical knowledge and shows how most of these fears are falsely based.

Also, rather than restricting his discussion to the role of a father alone, Tuhin additionally and interestingly discusses on the need for a father to work on his role of being a good husband as well. Reconnecting the lost love between a couple post child birth is important too. A happy family shall mean a healthy child.

A good part of the book is kept for discussing the issue of disciplining and when to know that parental indulgence is spoiling a child. Anxiety issues that arise in a child and other problems that can arise in a child’s mind are discussed with solutions in an expert take penned down by the renowned psychologist, Dr. Seema Hingorrany.

A chapter titled ‘Protecting your Baby’ highlights on the need for vaccination and the dos and don’ts to follow in the event of common illnesses. Another expert take is offered here by pediatric consultant and oncologist, Dr. Santanu Sen and pediatrician Dr. Ninad Hebbalkar.

The seventh and last section Fatherhood Across Generations is an interesting emotional account that the author writes about his relationship with his father. He further writes a 'Things I’d do differently' (as a father) column where he delineates how he wishes to bring his child up. I think this last part was a really informative column and something every father must take special note of, for as Dr. Hingorrany puts it “Health issues can be medically treated, but if behavioral issues are left unattended, they can leave a significant impact on the child's personality development which in turn impacts their success or failure in life.”

Simply put, Daddy is a compilation of narratives on fatherhood which adds up as a parenting guide/handbook. Illustrations on how to burp/bath/massage a child, are sure to bring a smile to every reader’s face while also being greatly instructive. The beauty with which the chapters have been woven together with the author’s personal experience along with those of many other fathers makes Daddy a pleasurable read. Tuhin A Sinha’s newest release is sure to strike a chord with every man who aspires to become a father.

This book is a PR sample but it has in no way affected my opinion on its content.