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Charles Bock sits down with me to talk about his fatherhood journey. He shares that fact that he really never wanted to be a dad. We talk about the difficult time Charles and his daughter, Lily experienced when, Charles’ wife Diana passed away when Lily was three years old. Charles and I talk about his book, I Will Do Better and how tough it was to write and go back to a time that was very painful for him and his family. Lastly, we finish the interview with the Fatherhood Quick Five.
About Charles Bock
Charles Bock had been a reluctant father, tagging along for the ride of parenthood, obsessed primarily with his dream of a writing career. But when his daughter Lily was six months old, his wife, Diana, was diagnosed with a complex form of leukemia. Two and half years later, all treatments and therapies exhausted, Charles found himself a widower—devastated, drowning in medical bills, and saddled with a daunting responsibility.
To nurture Lily, and somehow, maybe even heal himself, Charles would have to change. I Will Do Better is the pull-no-punches account of what happened next and how this middle-aged boy-man and his plucky child were able to find their way together. Charles has two daughters and he lives in New York City. Make sure you pick up his book,I Will Do Better: A Father’s Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love wherever you get books. In addition make sure you check out his website at charlesbock.net.
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About The Art of Fatherhood Podcast
The Art of Fatherhood Podcast follows the journey of fatherhood. Your host, Art Eddy talks with fantastic dads from all around the world where they share their thoughts on fatherhood. You get a unique perspective on fatherhood from guests like Bob Odenkirk, Hank Azaria, Joe Montana, Kevin Smith, Danny Trejo, Jerry Rice, Jeff Foxworthy, Patrick Warburton, Jeff Kinney, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kyle Busch, Dennis Quaid, Dwight Freeney and many more.
Hi, I’m A in the book. And nothing Charles Bock has done with the publication of this memoir is admirable or to be praised whatsoever.
He was already flirting with me, inviting me to his hotel room, and talking about divorcing his wife before she had cancer. During the year and a half we were together (only a portion of which is included in I Will Do Better, btw, I never knew about the other woman Z whatsoever. Only learned about her upon publication. At the end of our year and a half, he ghosted me. I didn’t hear from him for ten years. Now this comes out without any warning whatsoever. Letting people know they will be in your mainstream book, and how they will be written about, is extremely standard practice in publishing. He did none of that, and destroyed me all over again in the process.
I’m suddenly just appearing in this book naked, saying things I didn’t say, doing things I didn’t do. And no way at all to correct any of it?
Ghosting me and not talking to me for ten years is unbelievably cruel. To put me through the emotional wringer again ten years later with zero warning whatsoever is unbelievably cruel as well.
And we’re also completely skipping all the emotional abuse he heaped on Leslie Jamison after me? (In hindsight, meeting her, fully aligns with him ghosting me.)
This man deserves zero praise. He has been awful to multiple women starting with his wife. Probably long before that as well. I Will Do Better? All of you, especially him, can do infinitely better.
https://podcasts.apple.com/sn/podcast/comedy-journalist-julie-seabaugh/id1610162963?i=1000677732945