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You are here: Home / Books / On our desk: “Sugar Milk” by Ron Mattocks (book review)

On our desk: “Sugar Milk” by Ron Mattocks (book review)

August 15, 2010 by Paul Banas Leave a Comment

Sugar Milk, subtitled “What One Dad Drinks When He Can’t Afford Vodka” joins the library of first person, mostly true accounts of real dads navigating the completely new waters of fatherhood in the new millennium. Unlike many of these books that track pregnancy and the trials and tribulations of fatherhood in a still secure nuclear family (see Daddy Drinks, for example), Mattocks’ story is the more increasingly commonplace tail of a dad organizing his life around kids from a first marriage and stepkids from a second. Throw the recession of 2007-2010 into the mix, and the story becomes emblematic of the way we live today.41q5BnDQA5L._SL160_.jpg

Mattocks story, however, is not a crying-in-your beer melodrama. A former English Lit major, Mattocks writing has a very readable style and tells his story with humor and clarity, despite the way his life tumbles around as he is living it. He’s a high-flying young housing executive and then laid low in his career by the housing bust. During this time, he also divorces his first wife and mother of his three sons, and remarries to a woman with two daughters. His new role, attempts to blend his families, and a new job as stay-at-home step dad bring new challenges unseen before in his career.

The “sugar milk” of the title is the subject of a funny anecdote on how we all cope with parenting in ways big and petty as we struggle to make sense of old roles and new economic realities. Anyone wanting to understand how real families are living and reconciling their real lives should read Sugar Milk, a bright spot of the daddy memoir genre.

Filed Under: Books, Father

About Paul Banas

Paul Banas is happy married dad of two great kids living in San Francisco. He writes now about kids, new technology and how the two interact for GreatDad.com and for Pregnancy Magazine (pregnancymagazine.com) where he is also the publisher.

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Great Dad Talks

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Great Dad Talks

Great Dad Talks is a series of conversations with experts on all aspects of the family adventure. With the perspective that “dads don’t always think like moms,” our mission is to support dad voices and our slightly different approaches to parenting. We’ll try to find solutions to every day challenges like getting kids off the couch and making STEM classes available for both boys and girls. But we’ll also tackle bigger issues when they come. The one main theme will be to support dads in the most important role of their lives that of being a great dad. Connect with us at greatdad.com and watch the video version of these podcasts at YouTube.com/greatdadnews

Spinning Out Family Stress with Michael Blair
byPaul Banas

Welcome to another episode of Great Dad Talks! This week, I sit down with life coach and former psychologist Michael Blair to explore modern tools for family harmony, emotional healing, and child development.

Michael shares the transformative power of his unique “spin” method—a tool rooted in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)—that helps kids, parents, and even whole families quickly change negative emotional patterns in just minutes. Listen in as Michael walks Paul through an anxiety-busting spin live, explains why dads’ involvement is critical to healthy families, and shares actionable tips on self-forgiveness and resilience.

Check out Michael’s website at blaircounselingandcoaching.com

Visit these links and embark on the path to becoming the best parent you can be:

– GreatDad.com/coaching 

– GreatDad.com/pq 

– Gratitude course: bit.ly/3NMLDNC

50% off for podcast listeners with code PODCAST50

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