Alec Baldwin: Father of The Year? You Decide.

I was recently sent an article talking about Alec Baldwin's new book, A Promise To Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce. Yes, this is the same Alec Baldwin, notorious for that phone message to his daughter. 

The book, as you can guess from the title, deals with the aftermath of his infamous split with Kim Basinger, and his thoughts on being a dad afterward the divorce. If you read the original article from Stollerderby, from which this post is based, read through the comments section to get a sense of the emotion surrounding this debate. Most of what is said focuses on Baldwin's sincerity in his intent behind writing the book, which draws equal amounts of disdain and support.  

Some see this as a means to repair his tarnished reputation as a parent, thus enhancing his celebrity image, while as the same time getting back at his ex-wife. Others are more understanding, pointing to the idea that whatever his reasons, the sharing of the experience will still be helpful to others. 

As far as I'm concerned, the jury is out on his intentions. It's hard to make a judgement on a celebrity's personal life given the extreme amount of public attention they receive. You can't really know for sure what's bias and what isn't. There are instances in my life, had I been a big star, they would have looked bad to the "Joe Six Packs" (I love using that phrase) out there watching from home, but in truth it was just something you and I would consider normal everyday life. Perception, however, can become reality. So in that light, how can I say one way or another what Baldwin is up to, although I do try to see the best in it.  

I will say, however, I am anxious to read what he has to say since one of the major topics he deals with is an issue I have a strong personal connection to and one which I've talked about before. This being the subject of Parental Alienation. This item also drew a number of fiery (and frankly, just plain ugly remarks on the post). What was most disheartening was seeing the number of people who fail to understand the factors at work for split families dealing with this. My hope is that at least Baldwin's book brings a little recognition to the realities and consequences of parental alienation.   

If you have the time, it's interesting to watch Baldwin's Interview with Diane Sawyer.Incidentally, the link to the book also includes a sample chapter for reading.  

So then here's my question. Do you think he's sincere? What do you think about his parenting? Legit or for show? I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on this or just in general.  

(see, I go putting out all those silly posts and then do a 180 with this... sorry, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I'm schizophrenic and so am I)