Book excerpt: Enough already! Who ripped your fun out of fatherhood? When did parenting become a war of attrition? Didn't you get the memo? Being a dad is the best damn thing that will ever happen to you. It's the story of a lifetime. It's your own personal 'Once Upon a Time.' You're the director. The screenwriter. You write the first act, the second act, the third act. Do you want a happy beginning, middle and end? Then write one. But you're going to have to work for it. Push yourself beyond what you believe possible. Invest in your daughter. Invest in your son. Invest in yourself. When your kids' time comes - and if Epictetus has taught us anything, their time will come - when they grow up, no matter what, will they know you tried your best? Will you have kept those promises you made at 3 a.m. in the dark on a chill Tuesday morning in April as you sang lullabies into the delicate ear of that sleeping fragile lump of life you call your daughter? I'm like you. I'm a father, I'm a parent. I want what's best for my kids. And I'll go to the end of the world to make that a reality. "Because It's not the end of your world, but what if it was?" The Apocalypse Daddy isn't your traditional guide to fatherhood. You'll find zero nappy reviews. You won't read about car seats and bottle feeding and how to manage your sleep. You won't get a breakdown of the latest gadgets or the top 5 fatherhood mis-haps. They'll be nothing about pregnancy or which pushchair to buy. I don't care what's on your breakfast menu. You'll get something much better than that. Something much more actionable and powerful. You'll get a reminder that the best stories are written in childhood. You'll get a story about Quentin Tarantino and Reservoir Dogs and Stoicism and the ancient courts and emperors and Seneca and Diogenes and Epictetus and Aurelius. You'll learn about the power of running circles in your backyard and playing in grass with your children. You'll read about the magic of sleep deprivation and dreams; of running and jumping and playing; of holidays and the never-ending chaos that always ends too soon. Part love letter to his children, part alternative parenting guide, part stoic meditation, part psychotic breakdown, Apocalypse Daddy is the story of a father and his daughter and how one Spring can last a lifetime. Joining Apocalypse Daddy is a cast of cultural icons, scientists, musicians, dead kings and Schrödinger's cat. Can Buddha, Seneca, Epictetus, Bob Dylan, Diogenes, Richard Nixon, Peter Rabbit, Alfred Hitchcock, Jimi Hendrix and Hunter S Thompson help Apocalypse Daddy overcome the odds and bring education home? Is there enough time for Alice and Luca to teach Apocalypse Daddy about the meaning of life and what being a parent is really about? Undistracted. In the moment.