The Man of the House website describes itself as, "the real man's magazine, a guide for the jack of all trades trying to be better - at work and at home, as a father and as a husband...Man of the House is about men helping other men become better men. We're here for the man who wears a dozen hats and worries about losing his hair." The site has an interesting and useful conglomeration of articles, how-tos, tips and advise spanning a wide variety of subjects pertinent to the average man. In short, it appears designed for the middle-aged, middle class, regular guy, who must somehow be an expert in everything from home and auto repair, to modern technology, to investing, to child rearing.

Currently Man of the House is running a World's Greatest TV Dad Contest. The 32 TV dads in the March Madness style contest are: Eric Taylor, Don Draper, Mike Brady, Tom Bradford, Phil Dunphy, Michael Kyle, Homer Simpson, Mitchell Pritchett, Howard Cunningham, Jay Pritchett, Charles Ingalls, Phillip Banks, Richard Castle, Tim Taylor, Paul Hennessy, George Lopez, Steven Keaton, Ray Barone. Michael Hogan, Robby Stewart, Carl Winslow, Jason Seaver, Al BundyAl Bundy, Dan Conner, Adam Braverman, Hayden Fox, Danny Tanner, Red Forman, Cliff Huxtable, James Evans, Tony Micelli, Jack ArnoldJack Arnold.

As for me, my pick for Greatest TV Dad probably coincides simply with the one I watched the most growing up: Mike Brady. But, I have no delusions about him winning the contest. He's old school and the winner will likely go to someone more modern who's had to deal with far more complex and difficult issues of modern times. But that's one of the reasons I like Mr. Brady, I make the assumption that he (and his wife) raised the kids right from the beginning so that there were no huge problems on down the line. I firmly believe the battles you fight when the kids are young are the battles you don't have to fight when they are older. Likewise, the values you instill in them in their youth are the values you can rely on as they grow older and are under your watchful eye less and less.

I remember Mr. Brady giving his boys, Greg in particular, just enough rope to hang himself with, that is, to learn a lesson on his own the hard way. But, when the situation called for it, I remember him sitting on one of his kid's beds and having a heart-to-heart talk. It seemed like a good mixture. And that, alas, is what a modern dad (and mother together) must be, a disciplinarian and instiller of values and educator of all the lessons that one needs to be successful in life. Because, lets face it, you ain't gonna learn all that from the TV!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate.