8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter: And Other Tips from a Beleaguered Father (Not That Any of Them Work) - Hardcover

Cameron, W. Bruce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761123148 ISBN 13: 9780761123149

Publisher: Workman Publishing Company, 2001

Synopsis

Fathers may suspect it's not easy for their daughters to become women, but those same daughters have no idea how hard it is for fathers to stand by and watch. According to W. Bruce Cameron, "Having a child mutate into a teenager is a bit like being an airline passenger who must suddenly take over for a stricken pilot and land the plane. And in this case, the passengers are all yelling, 'I hate you! I hate you!' and slamming the door to the cockpit."

Cameron has two daughters, so he is doubly aware that raising teenage girls is well, impossible. He's been through braces (the most expensive metal on earth), kissing (do they have to use their lips?), teen "logic" ("I asked if I could go out with Lindsey and you said no, so I went out with Courtney"), and, of course, dating, which leads to the 8 Simple Rules. (Rule #1: if you pull into my driveway and honk, you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure as heck not picking anything up.)

If your little girl has moved out and a teenager has taken her place, this book will help you do something you probably thought was not possible in your situation: laugh.

About this title

Review

A comic survival guide to being a parent of teenage daughters, Bruce Cameron's book started life in 1995 as a wildly, and accidentally, successful Internet column. In short, sharply observed vignettes, he touches a middle-aged-male nerve by describing the rage and bewilderment of having little girls turn into teenage monsters, but every complaint is punctured by a self-deprecating regular-guy-in-a-mad-world irony. There are helpful hints (or rather, unhelpful ones, because Cameron admits that nothing will make any difference) for coping with the telephone, clothes, parties, car you used to own, and boyfriend you don't want her to hang around with.

It's all rather reminiscent of Dave Barry, though of course Cameron's canvas is smaller, and for that reason alone, many readers will find that a whole book is a stretch. This is definitely a bathroom browse rather than material for reading cover to cover--assuming it's possible to get into the bathroom, that is; according to the author, this is a coveted parking space for strange aliens who paint themselves for hours while dreaming of Brad Pitt. --Richard Farr

Book Description

Bruce Cameron is "the talk of parents nationwide" (People). He is "a brilliantly funny writer . . . in the tradition of James Thurber. He is so funny he makes you think that being a grown-up isn't such a crummy deal after all" (Cathryn Michon, author of The Girl Genius Guide to Life); his observations are "warm and funny, exhibiting just the right mix of laughs and love" (Kansas City Star), and "rich with tongue-in-cheek fatherly wisdom" (Cincinnati Enquirer).

A nationally syndicated columnist with the Rocky Mountain News, Cameron gained national attention with the publication of 8 SIMPLE RULES in hardcover, becoming a regular contributor to Time's "Your Family" column and a featured story on CNN, CBS's The Early Show, and in People magazine. The reason is simple: he expresses something very true in a very funny way, examining just what happens when Daddy's little girl becomes a teenager. Beginning with the warning signs (#5: Your car insurance suddenly costs more than the car), the book covers dating (Rule #2: Keep your hands and eyes off my daughter's body or I will remove them), the telephone (seemingly wired to her nervous system), braces (the costliest metal on earth), the first job, and more. "Cameron's take on the angst felt by every father of a teenage daughter is witty, wise, and excruciatingly on the money" (Charles Shyer, writer and director, Father of the Bride I and II).

About this edition

• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0761123148
• ISBN 13: 9780761123149
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288