A review by davidr
Cómo ser marido by Tim Dowling

5.0

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read! Tim Dowling is a master of self-deprecating humor, and every page is a big belly laugh. Tim Dowling proclaims that this is not a self-help book. And it surely is not. It is a catalog of all the things that a husband should not do. The book should really be titled, How Not to be a Husband

His official marriage at a register office was followed by a Catholic wedding the following morning. He wrote,

I am badly hungover, nervous and shaking. I am in no fit state to get married and, had I not already been married, I might have got cold feet. But I didn't. Reader, I married her, again. I married the shit out of her.

Despite the denial that this is a self-help book, there is a chapter containing the "Forty Guiding Principles of Gross Marital Happiness". I especially like Principle number 32:

Never underestimate the tremendous healing power of sitting down together from time to time to speak frankly and openly about the marital difficulties facing other couples you know.

For the early portion of his marriage, Tim Dowling stayed at home doing--mostly nothing. Then, when children came, he became a stay-at-home Dad. During a "do-it-yourself" episode, Dowling is making a home repair, and asks his eldest son to come and watch. The repair is boring, tedious, and ineffectual. His son asked, "Why am I here?" and Dowling answered that insurance companies like to have witnesses.

This is a very comprehensive account of all facets of being a husband. The book is not for the faint of heart. It is intended for those with a heart in sore need of a good laugh.