This book is a compilation of humorous, insightful and touching comments made by a little girl named Sammie when she was five years old. The book also contains five foundational “Relationship-Building Pledges” for those privileged to have the title "Dad." The pledges are designed to prompt the “Dads” of the world to think about their relationship with their children and to take affirmative steps to build or improve that relationship. This book will warm your heart, make you think, and quite possibly change your life.

Observation #1 You Reap What You Sow Sammie and I were playing `school.' Sam was the teacher. I was the student. I sat on the floor along with five of Sam's dolls. Her favorite doll, Natalie, sat next to me. As Sammie was trying to teach, I was being a disruptive student and continually interrupted her with comments like “I gotta go to the bathroom” and “When is recess?” Frustrated, Sammie put her hand on her hip and said “As I was saying, who knows their ABCs?” I immediately raised my hand and said “I know! I know!” Sam looked at me, then at Natalie, and then back at me and said "I'm sorry, Shannon, but Natalie raised her hand first."

Shannon Shy is an attorney, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel, and the author of “It’ll be Okay”: How I Kept Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) from Ruining My Life (Authorhouse 2009). He and his wife Debbie have three children—Alex, Andrew, and Samantha—and live in Dale City, Virginia, just south of Washington DC. Shannon lettered in wrestling at and graduated from Southwest Missouri State University and got his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Commissioned a Marine Corps offi cer in 1986, he served eleven years on active duty after law school. In 1999, he accepted a civil service position with the Department of the Navy Offi ce of General Counsel and a Marine Corps Reserve commission. In 2007, he retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal. He has earned three Civilian Service Awards, including the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, which is the highest honorary award the Secretary of the Navy can confer upon a civilian. Shannon serves on the International OCD Foundation’s Board of Directors and Speakers Bureau. Dedicated to “Giving Back,” Shannon has coached youth football, baseball, and soccer. In 2003, he co-founded the Northern Virginia Youth Athletic Association (NVYAA), a non-profi t youth football and cheerleading organization dedicated to excellence in athletics, scholastics, and community service. NVYAA teams have won four American Youth Football (AYF) national championships and engaged in local, national, and international community service projects. Since 2007, Shannon has served as AYF’s National Membership Director. Shannon serves as the public address announcer for C.D. Hylton High School’s football and baseball programs, for the AYF National Championships, and the NOVA Wonders of the American Basketball Association. He also serves as a play-by-play announcer for the Gameday Broadcast Network.