First impressions of the Nelson book

Is it just me, or is it fair game in popular culture to assume that men are complete idiots? It's this patronizing tone---as though the authors had to remind the whole nation of us Al Bundy types that we can't keep watching sports and swilling beer during our wives' deliveries---that drives me crazy.  

Kevin Nelson's The Everything Father-To-Be Book has a three-star average rating on Amazon, which I seem to recall was one of the reasons I opted for a couple of other books instead (what can I say?  I love reading the ratings).  My mother-in-law bought it for me as a very thoughtful gift, however, and I cracked it open tonight.  Let me share with you some of Mr. Nelson's insights on telling people the happy news.

"If your parents live close by, it might be a nice gesture to pay them a visit to reveal the news in person.  If not, a phone call can do the trick. One of the advantages of email is that you can tell a whole bunch of people all at one, if you wish. [...] email can save you loads of time if you're too busy with the excitement of pregnancy to write or call each person individually."

At this time, I'd like to thank Captain Obvious for his thorough overview into the nuances of modern communication media.  Call me a snob for making fun of this, but I just don't feel like whether I should tell my parents in person or over the phone is really what I'm struggling with at this point.  And I'm under no illusions: I'm reading this book because I fully believe that there are several books' worth of stuff I'd like to know about fatherhood and my wife's pregnancy.  I just don't feel like this is that kind of stuff, let alone so important that I need it in chapter 2.  Couldn't there have been an appendix about how, if you live close, you can drive to your folks' place to tell them?

Ooh!  There's more.  Let's listen in:

"If you have a regular group of guys you play poker with or hang with, tell them in person.  Expect some good-natured ribbing about how you are going to be knee-deep in diapers and one of the walking wounded from lack of sleep and all that.  This might be a good time to spring for a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label and a box of Macanudo cigars and experience some old-fashioned male bonding."

Ok, got that, fellow Nascar-dads-to-be?  After we've told our parents, who we should drive to if they're in driving distance (and conversely, not drive to if they're not in driving distance), we should head over to our best bud's place.  Yeah, no, not that one, the guy who was your wingman when you first hit on your wife.  That's right, that one.  Bring a bottle of the good (blended) stuff and prepare to take it on the chin.  We're all Al Bundies in here.