Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need Hardcover – May 15, 2017

“The Creator of all, the source of all power and wisdom, has one great desire: to be called Father. You share that name with God.”I do not think there is a greater cheerleader for dads today than Dr. Meg Meeker. This book is friendly, practical, encouraging, and inspired. I think that every dad could be blessed by what Dr. Meeker has written in Hero: Becoming the Dad Your Children Need. Both a love song to dads and a playbook to equip them, this dynamic book will affirm their worth, inform their attitudes, empower their actions, and encourage their very souls. This book is for all dads: seasoned dads, young dads, married dads, divorced, widowed, and single dads. Endorsed by Jim Daly, Dr. Les Parrott, Philip Rivers, Dave Ramsey, Rob Davis, David Tyree, and Benjamin Watson, Hero is about God’s perfect creativity and the unique role fathers fill in the lives of their children.“It’s time for the men in this country to rise up, stand firm, and truly become the heroes their kids need them to be. I truly believe that, with a world of strong fathers, there simply is no limit to what the next generation can achieve.” -Dave Ramsey, Forward to HeroDr. Meg Meeker is a Christian, a pediatrician, a wife, a mother, a daughter, and a contributor to the NFL Fatherhood Initiative. Dr. Meeker’s long experience in clinical medicine, her friendships with dads of many stripes, her family relationships, and her work with Christian fatherhood organizations uniquely qualify her to understand the pressures that dads are under today, the ways in which fathers leave an indelible mark on the health and well-being of their children, and the societal ramifications that evolve when our culture devalues fatherhood. In this book, Dr. Meeker seeks to celebrate masculine fatherhood and empower dads to know their irreplaceability and worth. She does this in part by debunking secular myths and lies about what children need. Additionally, her intention is to equip dads to overcome their own wounds, help dads to heal wounds they may have inflicted on their children, and remind dads that their Father in heaven is always there to support them.“What happens is that when a father spends meaningful time with a child, the experience is magnified. As a father, you have the power to make time stand still. It’s the power to make fifteen minutes every other week seem like an hour of every night… you alone have this power. I have never heard children talk this way about teachers, or about other people who play important roles in their lives. It’s all about dad, because nothing is more important to children than acceptance and affirmation from their father.”Moms, this is for you too. If you wish to bless the father of your children, may I suggest that you read this book with an open mind and a heart for the health and well being of your kids? As a wife and a mom, I read this book so that I could know how to best encourage and support my husband. I want my children to have the best father possible. I know that no man is perfect, but I also know that he is the perfect father for my children and that children naturally adore and admire their dads (even in situations of divorce where children do not live with their dad). This is how God designed it to be. He calls men and women into different roles for our own good, for the good of our children, and for His glory. The role that God has designed for dads cannot be fulfilled by moms.“We fought a battle of the sexes without remembering that battles leave casualties – and we certainly did leave casualties… After thirty years of working as a pediatrician, I can say without a doubt that the sexual revolution was a disaster for kids – with families far more fractured and fragile than they were before and with kids far more endangered physically, through an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, and emotionally, because of a breakdown of the nurturing bonds kids need.”We live in a very broken culture. One in which it is considered insensitive to say that children need their dads. We fear hurting women who have been abandoned, abused, or betrayed by the men in their lives. We hesitate to highlight the gaping hole that is left by a dad who leaves, for whatever reason. Tragically, however, no matter how much we fear hurting those women, children are absolutely hurt when we do not acknowledge the pain that fatherlessness causes in their lives. Our right concern about not wanting to cause pain to single and divorced moms has caused us to remain relatively silent on an issue that is causing destruction in the lives of men and children. Dads are not well served when we do not acknowledge their intrinsic and irreplaceable role. Children are absolutely harmed when they are left fatherless. Children need their fathers and, when a father cannot or will not be found, they need devoted father figures. This book unabashedly acknowledges these truths.“One of my challenges to dads is to put their love on the line: prove it.”Sometimes books like this can be disorganized. Even if the author’s points are perceptive and erudite, some books in this style wander all over the landscape and fail to really commission readers into making the necessary changes in their lives that will affect the results they are hoping for. Not so with this book. Dr. Meeker is categorically a physician who intends to look after the psychological and emotional health of her readers and to prescribe for them a heavy dose of truth and encouragement. Organized in an intelligent way, the book is divided into ten chapters, each of which explores an aspect of fatherhood. Each chapter starts with a friendly reflection on the topic and then moves into examples from Dr. Meeker’s clinical experience. Teaching and cheerleading the whole time, the chapter ends with practical advice that can be applied to the life of any father. Like her friends at the NFL Fatherhood Initiative, Dr. Meeker views the subject of this book, fathers, as men in need of a solid and practical plan to capitalize on their natural talents, hone their skills, and encourage confidence.“‘Father’ is a word of such profound significance, meaning, and hope that it was the first word Jesus uttered when he was crucified. It was the cry of a man who agonized for the people he loved. Those people are us. And the Father he cried out for watches over us still, just as you, in your children’s imaginations, will always watch over them, just as Brett Favre’s father was always watching over him. Be worthy of your children. Be like your own Father, the one who is in heaven.”

After reading Strong Fathers Strong Daughters by Dr. Meeker, I became a fan of her insight and straight forward honesty about how a father impacts his children. The more I read I felt I was reading something written about my dad. He died when I was thirty-three but not a day goes by that he isn't on my mind and influencing the decisions I make.I purchased Hero for a friend and single father of two young boys. His biological father fell victim to a life time of alcoholism and abandoned his role as a father when my friend was only three years old. Fortunately, family friends stepped in and offered to raise him until his teenage years. However, the pain of not having his father lingers yet he is committed to breaking the cycle. Knowing Dr. Meeker's ability to deliver powerful messages about parenting, I decided to read 'Hero' before wrapping it up for Father's Day.'Hero' delivers a powerful message about the importance of the role that father's have in the lives of their children! I know the message is truthful because my dad was by far the single most influential person in my life. I am a woman and there was never a day in my life that my dad did not have time to spend with me. If he was going to the hardware store I was the shadow right beside him. If he made a quick run to make a bank deposit, I was right beside him. Whether he was going for a five minute trip or two hours he would ask me to come along. As a teenager he and I built a lake home together. He never missed a dance recital, an activity I was involved in at school, or a chance to watch Leave It To Beaver together. He taught me about business, money management, how to make major purchases, work ethic, and how to succeed in life. He made sure I knew what it felt like to take pride in my work and the confidence I built by making my own way. He provided a great life for our family but he somehow knew the secret to his success as a dad was to invest his time in his children. Dr. Meeker hits the nail on the head when she emphasizes the necessity for spending time with a child. Dads need to put down the phone and the remote control and go throw balls, pull their son in a wagon, teach their kids how to rake leaves, grill some hamburgers, etc. and never stop being an example of what 'Hero' will teach them to be.Every dad that reads this book and follows her guidance will make a difference in our world. He will also make a difference in who he is and how he feels when a little voice calls him "Dad."If I could give this book ten stars it wouldn't be enough. Buy it. Read it. Live it.

Amazon censored my first review which is hilarious (but not shocking). I read this book prior to us having our first child and have since gifted it to other first-time dads. It’s a great reminder of the vital role we play in our child’s lives. Written from a traditional values/biblical worldview. A lot of common sense in here. Dads, time to step up.

Meg is a bit religious for my taste at times but it didn't ruin the book for me. The basic premise is strong and simple, in a short read that doesn't drone on a substantial amount. I like her many case-stories used to illustrate her points and exemplify the importance of the father in the household. I feel she brings up some very good points about our societies expectations (or lack there of at times) of fathers and good advice for staying involved with your kids and leading your family as best you can.

Encouraged my husband so much. He passes it around to friends!

Wish I had this book 30 years ago. Would have read it once a year to remind myself of how to be the best father I can be. Raised my girls to leave the nest at 18 and make their own mark on the world (and they are doing that so well) but this book was a nicely prodding reminder that my job stoll isn't done. The role of father is discounted either by jest or tide but reading this book has helped me see signs from them that my wife and I are their glimpse into the future and that what we do greatly impacts their hopes of the future.This book is a great gift to new fathers,

Any parent worth their grain of salt should read this book. No ones perfect, but in an Imperfect world, this book I recommend for parents whom are trying their best.

A lot of books on parenting / fatherhood are interesting but not terribly easy to apply in everyday life. This book is so different. It is very easy to read and very easy to implement.Meeker does an excellent job showing the importance of fatherhood. Mothers and fathers are different, each bringing something vital to the life of a child that the other can't contribute. Fathers who are present and involved in the lives of their children benefit them in every measurable way. So many of the problems children have, and the ills of society, are due to absent fathers.Meeker then gives practical guidelines for becoming the father your children need you to be. There are far too many for me to list, but in chapter 6 she has six "plays" for being a good father: Play with your children; pray with your children; be steady; be honest; be firm; stay committed.It's not a cheap book, but it's worth every penny, and will pay off in the lives of your children. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This book is a great read for any father. It shows that any father can still be and is the hero in their child's eyes. It shows the impact that a father can have in a child's life. It is a great read and can be a great read for even mothers just to better see some of those things a father provides for his child. This is a book that I definitely plan on reading more than once to just help remind me who I need to be for my child.

I haven't read it yet but I have heard the author speak and she has a lot of years of experience and I know the book will be packed with wisdom

I ordered this book for my husband, but I'm reading it first! ;) I'm just over halfway through, and loving it! I'm looking forward to hearing what my husband thinks when he gets around to reading it. I'm sure for him it will be affirming, encouraging, and I hope it will help him to see what a huge impact he is having on our kids (ages 12 and 9 right now), even when he can't see it now.