Fatherhood is under siege in this country, with the number of absent and uninvolved fathers on the rise. In this context, Olivet professor Dr. David Van Heemst ‘96 M.P.C./’98 M.A. releases his newest book. Splashing in Puddles: How to Be a Father to Your Daughter, from Kirkdale Press, is a guide for fathers on how and why to be involved in their daughters’ lives.
Splashing in Puddles is a call for a return to true fatherhood. Based on his extensive academic research, as well as his personal experience as the father of five daughters — twins and triplets — Dr. Van Heemst discusses how fathers need to spend time with their daughters.
“I wrote this book to dads, but I wrote it for daughters. The most important thing I’ve learned is that young girls need a relationship with their dad,” Dr. Van Heemst said.
“If a dad tends to the needs of his young daughter’s heart, he’ll set her on a trajectory toward success and a firm foundation in Christ. By cultivating his daughter’s inner world with security and significance, he’ll do the single most significant thing he can do for his daughter.”
A professor of political science at Olivet for two decades, Dr. Van Heemst also holds two master’s degrees in counseling. He is the author of Empowering the Poor: Why Justice Requires School Choice (2004), Herman Dooyeweerd and Eric Voegelin: A Comparative Study (2005) and College: What’s the Point? Embracing the Mystery of the Kingdom in a Postmodern World (2011); and the co-author of Hope in Troubled Times: A New Vision for Confronting Global Crises (2007).
He and his wife, April, enjoy bike riding, going to the park, reading books and playing games with their five daughters, Maggie, Ellie, Anni, Libby and Jessie.
“I want fathers to recognize the uniqueness of their daughters,” Dr. Van Heemst said. “They can help foster their daughters’ healthy femininity and ability to be Christ-like women in the world. They can be a positive and godly influence upon their daughters and leave an eternal impact by engaging in the small moments of life, like splashing in puddles.”
This digitally published book contains tagged Bible references that readers can use to pull up Scripture passages as they read. It is available through Vyrso, the Christian ereader app from Logos Bible Software, as well as through Kindle, Nook and other ereaders.
Kirkdale Press is a division of Logos Bible Software, the leading provider of multilingual tools and resources for Bible study on Macs, PCs and mobile devices. Since 1992, Logos has served pastors, scholars and everyone who wants to study the Bible.