Another reason to read Cal Ripken, Jr's book

I posted before that I bought Cal Ripken, Jr's book, being a big fan of baseball and of him personally. The book is called "Get in the Game" and it's written by Cal Ripken, Jr. with Donald T. Phillips, Gotham Books, 2007. It's considered kind of a business advice book combined with baseball fan book, but now I recommend it for parents!

As I read the book I'm so impressed at how Cal looks back on his home life while growing up and the important lessons his father taught him just in the simple acts of being a caring, wise, and demanding dad! For those of you who are parents, either a mom or a dad, I think you will get a lot of support in reading this book. It's a reminder of how good "normalcy" is, and that parenthood is not a competition with your child and their friends about who is the most "cool." While Cal's dad managed a baseball team, it was not a glamorous life and thriftiness and hard work were vital to the family's success. His family did not get a short cut to celebrity, and therefore skip the character building basics of life and self worth that every child needs to grow up with. In addition to parents, I'd also recommend this book for people who grew up without a dad's positive influence.... either because the dad was missing, or because they were cheesy or irresponsible. Reading this book you can "borrow" Cal's dad (I'm sure he won't mind at all.) It's never too late to read about a good role model and apply even a few of the simple lessons to one's own life and family.