Daddy, Can You Make Me Pancakes?
The True Story of a Young Mother's Battle Against Cancer and Her Husband's Journey to Bring Healing to Their Family
By: Kevin McAteer / Narrated By: Chris Chappell
Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
Cuz sometimes being a Dad can be a really tough and heartbreaking thing
Consider the story: Kevin McAteer meets and marries the woman of his dreams. She’s funny, loving, a taaaaad irresponsible (Or as he says it: She’s A Free Spirit!), and the two settle down to live normal lives with children, a home, the occasional family vacation.
Enter leukemia when Pamela is only 36 years old. And tho’ she’s donned her fighting gloves to kick cancer’s ass? Well, that’s not going to happen. Kevin is left a widower before he’s even 40, and now he has to figure out what to do with Pamela’s body; has to figure out HOW to decide whether one plot of land to bury her in is better than another; has to figure out how on God’s green earth he’s going to raise three small children to be good and loving individuals… all by himself… all within the span of time that demands NOW! You must decide it all NOW!
Daddy, Can You Make Me Pancakes? is by turns heartbreaking, by turns life-affirming. It’s about the nitty gritty of life and death, about trying to make ends meet, make a living, even as you’re trying to make sense of devastating loss. All the while cleaning up after three youngsters who don’t know where Mommy went.
Chris Chappell, though not the best narrator in the world, does a fairly good job. Kevin spends a lot of time harried, exhausted, confused—and all that comes through in Chappell’s vocal performance. But Kevin also finds hope and humor in situations—and all THAT comes through loud and clear in his performance also. I don’t think I would’ve been as moved as I was if that had not been the case.
The book is mostly a series of thoughts and essays as Kevin tries to navigate his way through the world of single dad-dom, his way as a bereaved man. It’s about making choices he never in his life thought he’d be having to make. And it’s about fun, love, and life too. Cuz ya can’t just give up when you have three little ones looking up to you for everything. There are some heartbreaking snippets along the way (Especially when he gets angry about a toy that should’ve been long discarded as a matter of age-appropriateness only to discover that “It’s the last thing Mommy ever won for me.” I mean, really! >Sniffle, sniffle<). But there are plenty of sweet happenings too.
All in all, a very touching, very moving story of a Dad doing the best that he can, as he can. That it winds up on a hopeful and very happy note? Well, oh thank God!
Cuz mostly? It’s all about the love, folks…
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