Author’s Acknowledgments

Writing this book was a team effort, and I would like to thank the many people who helped make it possible. First, I want to thank Tracy Boggier, my acquisitions editor, who first discussed with me the possibility of writing the sixth edition of this book. Thank you, Tracy, for believing in me from the start, for helping me navigate this process from start to finish, and for helping to bring all the pieces of this project to a successful conclusion, all while empathetically and professionally helping me strike a much-needed balance between work and life outside the work.

Thanks to Kezia Endsley, my project manager, development editor, and copy editor, for her guidance, support, and the many hours she spent making this edition look polished and professional.

Thanks to Steve Anthony, my technical editor, for his many insightful observations and suggestions and for coming out of retirement to help an old friend.

I can’t express enough my profound love and appreciation for my family. The past year was a rollercoaster like no other and, while many of these scars will never fully heal, we endure. To my Mom, you’ve always been our source of strength and have taught me, among many other things, that being stoic doesn’t equate to being strong. What I wasn’t able to fully appreciate until this year, though, is your adaptability and perseverance through trying times — thank you for always being that much-needed role model. To my brother, Brian, things changed between us this year. I’ve always known you were there for when I needed you but, frankly, I never knew (or was willing to admit) how much I needed you until recently. Thank you (and your beautiful family, Tanya, Zack, and Mila) for being there as you always have been, being a great brother, and a great friend.

To my wife, Marci, thank you for your support and confidence in me throughout this entire process. Oh, and for at least trying to keep the kids quiet when I needed to focus on the book! We’ve been through so many ups and downs and uncertainties over the years and it has always been reassuring and empowering to have you right there with me throughout it all.

To my amazing children, Elena, Jacob, and Charlotte, thank you for your interest and excitement throughout this process — it really helped me remain interested and excited all along the way, even when it seemed like there might be too much work to do and not enough time to do it. Writing this book has been a source of pride and accomplishment for me, but will never come close to the pride and sense of accomplishment that comes with watching you grow and mature into such intelligent, compassionate, fun-loving, and crazy mini-humans.

Finally, thank you to my Dad for paving the way (through five prior editions!) for this book. It was both painfully emotional and joyfully cathartic to have your voice in my ear as I worked through each part, each chapter, each page of this book. I am deeply honored to carry the baton for this leg of the journey and hope I can live up to your expectations and your legacy. As relentlessly difficult as it is without you, it brings me relief and pleasure each day when I’m reminded of your perpetual amazement and boundless adoration of your grandchildren, something you taught me, something we did together, or one of your overused dad jokes.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

Senior Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier

Managing Editor: Kristie Pyles

Development Editor: Kezia Endsley

Copy Editor: Kezia Endsley

Technical Editor: Steve Anthony, PMP

Production Editor: Tamilmani Varadharaj

Cover Photo: © ThomasVogel/Getty Images