Doug Moe's Blog, page 16
June 7, 2017
June 6, 2017
50 Father's Day Gifts That He’ll Actually Want
Yes, it’s just one man’s point of view, but we have a feeling your guy will find more than enough in common with this hilarious dad-in-training.
June 5, 2017
An Excerpt from ‘Man vs. Child: One Dad’s Guide to the Weirdness of Parenting’ by Doug Moe
Splitsider - the comedy insider’s site for what’s what - has an excerpt from my book, Man Vs Child: One Dad’s Guide to the Weirdness of Parenting “What Will Toddlers Eat?” and “Food Can Be Fun (Sounding)”
If you’re cheap and only like to read pieces of books in excerpts, this is for you! But if you like it, think about picking up a copy.
June 4, 2017
Book Review: Man vs. Child, by Doug Moe
The real measure of a parenting book is not the answers it gives, but the questions it asks. Is its advice is drawn from experience, or from self-absorbed magical visions from the make-believe Land of Happy Parent Theories?
That’s why I am skeptical of the endlessly-published parenting books and blogs that ask questions like “What Are the Best BPA-Free Three-Syllable Strollers Under $1500?” and “What’s the One Weird Sure-fire Trick to Getting Your Child to Sleep Through the Night?” — and why I really liked Doug Moe’s Man vs. Child, which asks…
What’s good about sleep deprivation?
Is it OK to take my baby to a bar?
Should I worry if my kid talks weird?
Is my child too annoying for this restaurant?
What if I never get my iPad back?
Who is this tiny person?…and so much more. Subtitled One Dad’s Guide to the Weirdness of Parenting, it’s clear that Moe draws from personal experience and keen observations of other fathers and mothers. Raising a child in Brooklyn, New York — the heartland of organic free-range irony — offers Moe plenty of irreverent perspectives on the craziness of parenting, like the proper way to fold different brands of strollers. (Tip: it’s mostly it’s kicking, smashing, and probably swearing.)
Doug Moe is an actor and comedian (see: UCB, 30 Rock, Inside Amy Schumer, etc.) so it’s no surprise that his book offers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. You might have noticed this if you followed his Tumblr, coincidentally also called Man vs. Child. But in the midst of the humor, Moe raises some honest parenting issues that no book pointed out before I became a father.
For example, in a section titled “Time to Decide About God,” Moe suggests that we examine the differences between our religious beliefs and those of our parents. Maybe your parents are hardcore Christians and you’re not. How will you handle popular secular/spiritual holidays like Christmas and Easter? Are your child’s grandparents going to be pushy about their beliefs? It might be time to figure out your religion so you can stick to it and raise your child appropriately. (Anyone who follows my blog knows where I’ve landed.)
If you need help resolving an uncertain faith, I think “man vs. God” describes an entire department at your local bookstore. However, don’t misunderstand Moe; he hasn’t figured it out yet either. “If you decide to do what’s right, not just what’s easy, then I congratulate you,” he writes. “Deciding what you actually believe is a tough task that I have been avoiding for years. Soul searching is hard, especially when you have a tiny baby screaming at you.”
To be clear, this book isn’t just about babies. It’s about that long-running game of life called So You Think You Can Dad. The book starts with observations from Moe’s childless stage of adulthood, and by the end of the book, his daughter is 10 years old, halfway between the ages of my own kids (8 and 12). That’s a long span to cover, and at under 200 pages, Moe’s book doesn’t even try to explain every detail, because that’s not the goal. You should wait for his 18-volume exhaustive treatise entitled Man vs. OMG Who Has Time To Read All These Parenting Books Anyways.
Instead, as he says in the introduction, “Man vs. Child is about the absurdity of being a dad today: from your blissful pre-baby days through when your kid is off at school, probably talking shit about you.” You might need a more serious parenting book to know the medical procedure for when your toddler eats gum off the sidewalk, but you should read Doug Moe’s book to know how to laugh about it. Remember, dads: safety first, but humor ought to be a close second, and Man vs. Child is an excellent reminder of that.
I am sure it is a random quirk of marketing fate that Moe’s book was released not long before Father’s Day (June 18). So, this year, if you’d like to buy a dad more than an ugly necktie, or something besides a new flashlight to replace the one your six-year-old dropped in the toilet, consider giving a copy of Man vs. Child. It’s available from Amazon and other places people can buy funny books.
Full disclosure: Doug Moe asked me to review his book and sent me a free copy. He’s also a friend of a friend. But I wouldn’t have read it if I didn’t expect it to be funny, and I wouldn’t have written this if I didn’t genuinely enjoy it. Plus, after 1500+ posts on And I’m the Dad, you would think I’d finally review a parenting book, eh? So here you go. Thanks for your patience.
A nice review of Man Vs. Child from the great dad blog And I’m the Dad! Thanks!
May 30, 2017
Man Vs Child: A Book Release Show Ruined by Jerks
If you’re in LA - come to my show tomorrow night at UCB Sunset and buy a book!
May 24, 2017
LOS ANGELES BOOK LAUNCH EVENTSLA! I am coming to your fine city!...
LOS ANGELES BOOK LAUNCH EVENTS
LA! I am coming to your fine city!
Wednesday, May 31st at 7pm: Man vs Child - A Book Release Show ruined by Jerks at UCB Sunset
and
Friday, June 2nd at 7pm: “In conversation with Jessica St. Clair at Book Soup
Pick your poison or come to both! The UCB show will be fun and weird with a bunch of your favorite performers, or come to Book Soup for a convo with my pal Jessica St. Clair of Playing House.
If you can’t make it, you can buy my book here.
May 17, 2017
May 16, 2017
"Why is Curious George always messing with ducks?"
- my daughter, blowing this whole thing wide open
Last week we had a couple of awesome book launch events for Man...
Last week we had a couple of awesome book launch events for Man Vs Child. At the first one, Dave Hill interviewed me at @powerhousearena in DUMBO for a packed crowd. That was a lot of fun. I think that I helped Dave realize how ready he is to start a family - pretty heroic of me.
Then on Thursday, I had a Book Release Show Ruined by Jerks. This was a show where hilarious pals of mine from the UCB Theatre continually interrupted me to ruin my show. Everyone was so hilarious - hopefully I’ll have some video of that to show soon.
If you missed them, you can buy the book online. I have more events coming, including several in LA: a show at UCB Sunset in LA on May 31st and an in-conversation event with the hilarious Jessica St. Clair at Book Soup on June 2nd. Stay tuned!
