Fatherhood can be a challenge. Fortunately for dads, there are some great books out there that are great resources. Owen Egerton is joined by "Alternadad" author and father Neal Pollack. This novel offers parenting advice for fathers. He shares some stories that inspired the book. This piece of writing is entertaining and fun for all parents. Check out The Lounge for more of our interview with Neal. DadLabs Ep. 9.

Daddy Owen: One of the things that really strikes me and yet you’ve mentioned in some of your readings is our generation and the way we feel about the music our kids are listening to.

Daddy Neal: Yeah

Daddy Owen: And you have a great section all about that in there.

Daddy Neal: It is important to me now but it was very important to me early on that my kid would have a very diverse musical education, that I would expose him to as many different kinds of music as possible before he was two.

Daddy Neal: Yes. It’s essential.

Daddy Owen: And I’ve taken some crap for it but in the end he’s going to pick whatever music he likes to listen to but I just feel like there is so much pap out there for kids and there’s so much bad music they can listen to, why not diversify the palate a little bit and give them more to choose from.

Daddy Neal: Yeah

Daddy Owen: And that’s the same thing with kids TV. I constantly go on about this and I argue with other parents about it. It’s like just because kids like Dora the Explorer doesn’t mean it’s good for them.

Daddy Neal: Yes!

Daddy Owen: And does it mean it’s the only thing on the table.

Daddy Neal: Yes!

Daddy Owen: And so I just feel like you can’t necessarily stop your kid from watching a show you hate but you can definitely give them more options. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. It’s like why is something automatically good because a kid likes it and it’s offered up by Nickelodeon. I think too many just parents just kind of give in automatically to that kind of stuff.

Daddy Neal: Because there’s someone out there who’s an expert saying….

Daddy Owen: Well, it’s not even an expert. It’s there and the kids like it. Where parent’s wouldn’t dream of taking their kids to Burger King three times a week just sit them in front of the same episode of Dora day in and day out. And to me it’s the same. It’s fast food for the mind. You know?

Daddy Neal: Dora is a sponsor of Dadlabs.

Daddy Owen: I’m sure she is but that is just an example. It’s not like he’s watching old episodes of Nova with me or something. I just pick crappy TV from my childhood.

Daddy Neal: Well you know it’s funny because you and I had a similar thing there. Because like your chapter on the Muppets.

Daddy Owen: Oh, yes.

Daddy Neal: And this is similar with Arden, Jody and I. We, I guess it was like on the first birthday when Elijah, or around there where he started watching the Muppets and for us it was the same sort of thing. Here’s the Muppets. Here’s Steve Martin on the Muppets.

Daddy Owen: Yes.

Daddy Neal: And just going with that and like any show that we can appreciate as well.

Daddy Owen: Yeah. There’s a proud moment in the book where Elijah asks if he can watch the John Cleese episode of the Muppet show. And sometimes it’s a little pathetic that that would make me happy. But you know within the limited range of my life experience that’s a success.

Daddy Neal: Oh yeah. Yeah, you’ve got to do something….

Daddy Owen: Yeah. He hasn’t seen the Steve Martin one. I’m sure he’d enjoy it.

Daddy Neal: It’s good.

Daddy Owen: Is there arrow through the head action going on.

Daddy Neal: Yes.

Daddy Owen: Oh, he’d like that.

Daddy Neal: And balloon animals.

Daddy Owen: He’d really like that.

Daddy Neal: We’ve actually shown all the Muppet movies as well. But Arden loves Muppets From Space, it’s her favorite.

Daddy Owen: I took him to see the Muppet movie at the Alamo Draft House when we were living here but he was too little and he made us leave after about ten minutes.

Daddy Neal: Yeah.

Daddy Owen: It’s a little slow for a three year old.

Daddy Neal: Yeah. Yeah, it can be a little slow.

Daddy Owen: He might like it now.

Daddy Neal: You have to sort of develop a taste for the characters.

Daddy Owen: He watches full length narratives now. He’s seen Labyrinth.

Daddy Neal: Oh, wow!

Daddy Owen: Yeah. Someone gave that to us. And The Never Ending Story.

Daddy Neal: That’s a great one.

Daddy Owen: The Iron Giant.

Daddy Neal: Oh yeah.

Daddy Owen: Babe…

Daddy Neal: Babe 2: Pick in the City?

Daddy Owen: He hasn’t seen that. He likes the original Christopher Reeve Superman.

Daddy Neal: Oh – good.

Daddy Owen: The first two Star Wars movies. I mean the first two of the original Trilogy. Not Attack of the Clones or the lesser picture.