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Parenting as a Contact Sport Paperback – July 21, 2020

by Steven Specht (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
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Parenting is a gut check, a kick-in-the-pants, an eye gouge, a head-butt to the bridge of your nose at midnight, "why are youeven out of bed" exercise in total chaos. At least it is with my boys Wolf and Bear. Parenting as a Contact Sport isn't an expert's guide on parenting. It's catharsis as I reconcile the craziness of my own violent childhood in the Deep South with the great-unknown of raising wild animals, or feral humans. I'm never sure.
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  1. Print length
    132 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 21, 2020
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.33 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-13
    979-8643257981
  6. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08DC1Z6X4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (July 21, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 132 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8643257981
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.33 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

About the author

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Steven Specht

Steven Specht

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
58 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Itzel Cummings
5.0 out of 5 stars Real. Relatable. Hilarious.
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
As with all of Steven Specht’s books, Parenting as a Contact Sport radiates his unique sense of humor and personality.

I’ve highlighted SO many pages of this book, laughing at the similarities in our child raising experiences. The author does not shy away from uncomfortable topics, providing the reader with authenticity that is hard to come by in parenting books.

I enjoyed the peeks into different topics, expertly interwoven through chapters, making this one of the best books I’ve read in a while.
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Movie Critic
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and heartwarming!
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2023
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I know my headline is trite, but truly this book made me laugh and at the same time made me regret not being born later in life and meeting the author before I had kids. He has a fabulous sense of humor and JUST the right attitude towards childrearing. Down-to-earth, realistic, loving. He believes in letting his children grow up independent and standing on their own. Bravo!!!
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Linda P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, funny, touching.
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
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There are so many wonderful adjectives I could use to describe this book…hmmm exceptional will have to do. It made me laugh and cry and pee my pants…how fitting when reading scout parenting babies and toddlers. I love how entertaining it was and educational all at the same time. Wolf and Bear are lucky to have you as a dad! And F off to those agents/publishers that turned their noses up. Glad you did it it on your own.
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D Tajbakhsh
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2023
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"Parenting as a Contact Sport" is an exceptional, witty, and charming read that offers a refreshing perspective on childrearing. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a relaxing and humorous book that touches on the more emotional aspects of family dynamics
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Lyndsey
5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, entertaining, and a charming read
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2020
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Parenting as a Contact Sport is an entertaining and witty read about more than just parenting. There were points in this book where I laughed, poor where where I cried, and pointed where I became stuck reliving some amusing childhood memories of my own. This book is for every parent, but it’s also for everyone who has had a strained relationship with their own parent. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a relaxing, humorous read that makes them also ponder some of the ironies of parenting.
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Anthony Harrington
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written Yet Confounding
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2023
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Parenting as a Contact Sport by Steven Specht is a well-written but confounding book, as I am not sure who the intended audience is. I can say with some certainty that it is NOT for folks without children, as I could not relate.

The book is part memoir, part satire, and part parental commiserating to comical effect. The book is funny, and very well may be hilarious if you have children and experienced the many downfalls, frustrations, oopsies, and victories of raising kids.

Without that specific reference point though, some of the stories and anecdotes come across cliche. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I am sure no matter where in the world you are, there is a lot of commonality in the trials of parenthood.

To that effect, Specht masterfully milks each and every facet of raising kids for the much needed laughs. However, the graphic details, frank (and often coarse) language and descriptions used in his tales of raising kids are not what you typically find in a book such as this. Or, perhaps I am confusing a comical memoir with a book on how to parent. Therein lies the rub. Is this simply a book about soemthing every parent goes through and as such can relate? Or is this a book about what new parents can expect? Either way, I am not sure at what point a parent should read this.

Again, Specht can tell a story. The writing is tight; the humor is organic, and there is enough self-deprecating humor to draw empathy and sympathy for the author. Some readers though may be put off by the more coloful analogies Specht peppers through the book. Occasionally they are cringey or can be seen as cruel, specifically related to a child.

There is no doubt Specht loves his children, and he wrote this book from a well-intentioned place. If you are looking for a parenting memoir written from a place of sheer exasperation by an author who can look back on the traumas his children levied upon him and laugh, then Parenting as a Contact Sport is most definitely for you. As for me, it made me never want to have kids and be grateful that it is not even a remote possibility!
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Tee's
5.0 out of 5 stars Bought today and could not stop reading until finished.
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2020
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An entertaining read for parents who've been there or are currently in the kingdom reigned by precocious toddlers and raising them to best their best possible selves. Great humor, made me laugh out loud at some points. Bring a box of Kleenex for the read though, because some of the sections may have you in tears as the family leans into life and learns an occasional hard lesson.

Overall, I am eagerly anticipating the next installment.
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Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud humor
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2020
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If you have ever been both surprised and overwhelmed simultaneously by the sheer volume of crap that a baby can defecate, this book is for you. There are so many relatable and humorous stories interspersed with the author’s own childhood angst and struggles. Specht writes with a perfectly executed dry humor threaded with his own token “dad jokes.”
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Top reviews from other countries

Andrew Butters
5.0 out of 5 stars Relatable, Insightful, Enjoyable
Reviewed in Canada on April 5, 2023
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Specht's background and upbringing is almost polar opposite to mine, yet every story was relatable. Part memoir, part anecdote, part word of advice, Parenting as a Contact Sport is an enjoyable read that will leave you with a smile on your face and comfort that as a parent you're not alone.
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AmiraM86
5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining, easy to read parenting book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2023
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This book was such a fun read. The experience relayed by the author is raw, real and genuine. This greatly increased the credibility of the book, in my opinion. I feel a real parent is talking to me, rather than a man in a lab coat. Almost every parent will have to relate to the experiences in this book. The humour in the book is undeniable.

I think a lot of the advice would be invaluable for new parents. I certainly wish someone had told me those things before I became a mother, then I wouldn’t have given up a lot of the things I love to do.

Disclaimer: if you are looking for a parenting guide that is structured in age of children, and is a step by step guide, this isn’t it.
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ljr
5.0 out of 5 stars Teamwork, Tenacity and Tenderness
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 22, 2022
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An insight into the complex, challenging but rewarding world of parenting. The author and his wife, Lauren, negotiate their way through the day to day reality of child rearing. Specht is very candid about the brutality of his own complex and often brutal childhood, drawing on his experiences to inform his approach to parenthood.

The boys, Wolf and Bear, benefit from the wisdom of parents (both of whom have Military backgrounds) who are determined that their sons become decent young men, armed with kindness, resilience and confidence. I found myself rooting for them all the way!

Always engaging, often hilarious and sometimes deeply moving I feel better equipped,for patenthood, having read this book!
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