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DAD THE F*CK UP

What Is a Father’s Day Gift That Is Not Another Tie?

By Joshua S. Brogley · August 17, 2026

Part of the series Best Book Gifts for Men Who Say They Do Not Need Anything

Skip the tie and the mug. The gift that lands is one that takes him seriously as a dad and gives him something to do about it: Dad The F*ck Up runs 365 daily missions, 39 of them with the kids, a halfway report card the kids grade, and a last page they draw. It is addressed from the kids, on the cover.

Why gifts for dads fail

They are for the man, not the father. A tie thanks him for existing; a book of missions with his kids thanks him for the job and asks for more of it. Guess which one he opens twice.

Addressed from the kids

The cover reads: from the kids, obviously. Page 5 is a note from the back seat. The book does the emotional heavy lifting on its own, so the gift needs no card.

Thirty-nine missions with them

Buried in the year are 39 Dad Missions you do together: build the fort, camp in the yard, teach the catch. The gift keeps producing memories, which is more than any object under the tree.

The report card and the last page

Day 183 the kids grade him. Day 365 they draw the last page and it goes on the fridge. Give it early in the year and you have handed him a project with an ending worth reaching.

Dad The F*ck Up

365 days of showing up like the father they will brag about. Thirty-nine missions with the kids, a report card they grade, a last page they draw.

Buy it on Amazon See the book

Is Dad The F*ck Up appropriate to give a father-in-law?

The title is censored on the cover and the inside is warm, funny, and about showing up. Most dads laugh at the cover and go quiet at Day 1. That is the reaction you want.

What if he is not a reader?

It is one page a day, two minutes, half the pages are missions rather than reading. It is closer to a coach than a book.

written by the author, at the kitchen table, after work.