Fatherly Advice

Nobody’s perfect—not even fathers.

That’s the idea behind The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood (Motivational Press), a book assembled by Pitt alumnus Dominick Domasky that shares stories from nine fathers about their joys and sorrows, pride and humility. “We’re just imperfect dads doing our best,” says Domasky (UPG ’00), who contributed one of the stories.

He came up with the book idea during a telephone conversation with another father with whom Domasky was sharing some of the challenges he faced as the parent of a child with type 1 diabetes, a disease requiring up to six insulin shots each day.

“When you start to go through those struggles, everything changes,” Domasky says. “But because of that, I saw that I had a unique take on fatherhood to share with other dads.”

So, he collected stories from other fathers’ personal experiences, gathering perspectives on fatherhood that others might find useful. Among the contributors is fellow Pitt alumnus Douglas Lauffer (SIS ’94G), whom Domasky met at a Pitt-sponsored networking event.

A professor at Community College of Beaver County, Lauffer founded a successful technology company and is also a minister. He, too, is the parent of a child with a serious illness. He was enthusiastic when Domasky asked him to write about what he had learned from parenting his four children. “A key to fatherhood,” says Lauffer, “is always improving. When you fail, admit it and apologize. Learn, and become a better dad.”

This article appeared in the Summer 2016 edition of Pitt Magazine.