- 4/22/2025
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00:00Today's hits, yesterday's favorites, Magic 98.3.
00:03It is Mike McGinn, and I am joined by the lovely author of Dexter Has Two Dads, Ms. Donna.
00:13What's going on, girl?
00:14Hi, how are you, Mike?
00:16I'm doing fantastic.
00:17Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to talk about everything you guys got going on over there.
00:25Thank you so much for having me.
00:27I'm so excited to be here and just to talk about this new book that I wrote.
00:32I'm so excited.
00:33So thank you so much for the opportunity.
00:35Absolutely.
00:36And Donna, we spoke a little bit yesterday before the interview.
00:40You were giving me a quick synopsis about the book, but I didn't want to get into it too much
00:47because I kind of wanted to learn about the book today as we spoke.
00:51And the name of the book, like I said, is Dexter Has Two Dads, which is people are like,
01:00wait, what?
01:01Two dads?
01:02Tell me a little bit more about the book.
01:04What it's about and what made you want to write a children's book about a child having two dads?
01:14Absolutely.
01:15So this is a book.
01:17I don't know if this will air, but it's a book here and has a picture.
01:21It's a children's illustration book.
01:24So, you know, it's for early readers.
01:26And it's about my son, who is named Dexter, based on a true story, who does have two dads.
01:34Um, obviously we are in a divorced family, so he has a dad and a stepdad.
01:40Um, so this book, um, you know, came to mind when, uh, my son came home crying one day because
01:47he, uh, he was sad that he was being bullied in school for having two dads.
01:53Um, all the other kids in class, they only had one.
01:57Um, you know, I emailed the teachers.
01:59I asked them, maybe they could explain, they didn't really want to touch upon divorce or
02:04tell anybody in kindergarten, even leaving, leading up to first grade, what divorces and
02:11upset children and stuff like that.
02:13So it totally understandable.
02:15So my, um, idea at the time was what is a great way to kind of get this out there so that
02:23kids don't feel so alone or are being bullied for having a different kind of family.
02:30Um, so this book kind of shows how, uh, different varieties of families, whether you have two moms
02:37or you have two dads, or maybe you don't have either, maybe you're being raised by grandparents.
02:43Um, any, any type of family is okay.
02:46And it's special.
02:48It's yours.
02:48It's unique.
02:50Um, so the book, you know, it's cute.
02:53It's, um, you know, it's one liners, it rhymes and, um, I'm really, really passionate about
02:59this.
03:00I hope that it really helps, um, other moms or that, or anybody, dads, families in general
03:08that need to explain in, in a way that kids will understand and be like, okay, Dexter
03:14has this and I have this.
03:17Yeah.
03:17So it's okay.
03:17Yeah.
03:19And it's kind of cool for me, um, to see a book being written about the situation.
03:26Cause you always hear about it.
03:27Um, you know, people having step parents, um, or step siblings.
03:32Um, but I feel like it's not talked about enough.
03:36And a lot of kids don't really know how to deal with, let's say another man coming into
03:45their life as a fatherly role.
03:47Um, for me, for instance, um, I don't remember how old I was.
03:52All I know is I was a little kid and, um, I was in my room playing.
03:57Maybe I was eight, nine, 10, something around there.
04:01And, uh, my mom and dad walked in and they sat down with me and my brother and they said,
04:08you know, my dad said to me, he's just like, Mikey, uh, I'm going to sleep at uncle Mike's
04:16for a little bit, his brother's house.
04:19Um, so I won't be home every day, but if you need me, you could always call me.
04:24Um, and I didn't know how to grasp the fact that, wait, why is it dad going to be home?
04:32Um, so I was like, wait, why are you leaving?
04:34And they explained to me that they're no longer going to be together.
04:37And I just broke down, you know, like any kid would, um, because they don't want to see
04:42mommy and daddy, um, not being together, um, as a family all the time.
04:49Um, and it was hard for me, um, to see throughout time, my mom, you know, obviously doesn't want
04:58to be single her whole life.
05:01Um, she dated men.
05:04And, um, right now I have an amazing stepfather.
05:07Um, his name is Kenny and he's in my life.
05:11Um, so I've been there.
05:14It's, it was rough as a kid.
05:17So I understand like what kids go.
05:20I mean, I, I never got bullied about it, maybe because I really didn't talk about it so much.
05:25It was more like a private issue.
05:27Um, but it makes me wonder, um, if you have like a little insight of like what some of the
05:33kids might've been saying to your son, um, that was really getting him upset.
05:39Um, so, um, I mean this, when I first started writing this, uh, you know, he was in kindergarten
05:46at the time and it, it, it was, um, they had to draw a picture of their family.
05:52So now he drew a picture and now my, my current husband, he's been in his life since he was
05:58one year old.
05:59So to him, this is his family.
06:01He thinks it's normal.
06:03Um, but when he drew, you know, mommy, daddy, and daddy, they were like, no Dexter, you can't
06:10have two dads.
06:11That's wrong.
06:13And so he came home crying.
06:15Um, so, you know, that's kind of where it started and it's like, you know, well, uh,
06:20I only have one dad and they make it seem like, oh, they're better.
06:25Um, but there's so many good things, you know, to having two dads or, you know, having a step
06:33family, um, for me, that was my, yeah, that's the one thing you always hear, right?
06:40Two Christmases, you know, in my book, you know, um, you know, just, you know, so you
06:48can see, obviously, you know, he's, he's drawing, he's drawing the picture.
06:52I know this isn't going to be aired, but obviously you can see it's illustrations and he's, he's
06:57drawing his family, but then, you know, when he comes home and it's like, you know, you
07:02have two dads, uh, which, you know, not every kid is as lucky as you that you get to have
07:09two dads because one dad teaches you all about trains.
07:13One dad teaches you all about planes.
07:15One dad teaches you all about cars.
07:18One dad teaches you all about stars.
07:21You got, you got two different worlds, you know, two different guys that are, are, you
07:27know, raising this little man into something and you're getting something from both parents
07:33that, you know, a lot of kids won't have a, just have one, one parent.
07:38Um, not that that's a bad thing.
07:40That's great.
07:41Um, but there's so many positives to having two.
07:45And that's really where, where I hope, you know, um, also on the co-parenting side with
07:51divorce, you know, the divorce rates are up and, and a lot of families, you know, with
07:57co-parenting, you can see even at the end of the book, you know, we're all friends.
08:02The dads are friends.
08:03We're all working together for Dex to make sure that he grows into the man that he needs
08:10to be.
08:11Yeah.
08:11I think it's important to always state that, um, even if your previous relationship with
08:20your ex-husband or your ex-wife, um, doesn't work out as you guys being a couple.
08:26Um, but you guys do have children, you guys started a family and then you just decide
08:33to, you know, get a divorce and then both remarry or start dating again.
08:39I, I always think it's important to never forget that once you have that kid, it's not really
08:47about you nor your personal feelings towards your ex.
08:51Um, I think it's all about making sure the kid is loved by his parents and making sure
08:58that you guys can be in the same room with each other, um, and be there for his, you
09:04know, birthday party.
09:06Um, and luckily, you know, my mom and my dad, they got a divorce, but they were always, they
09:15always talked with each other.
09:16Um, there was never any shade between each other.
09:20Like they both made the decisions about how to raise me.
09:24Um, but there are families out there that when they have a kid, um, and then they have
09:29a divorce, they don't want to speak to each other anymore.
09:32And it's, it's not, you know, always so happy and, and lucky.
09:39Um, but I think it's, this book is more than just teaching children.
09:45Um, I feel like parents could learn a lesson from it as well.
09:50Like, as you said, you know, everybody gets along, everybody's a family because at the
09:56end of the day, if you have a stepfather, he's not, he's, he's now in your family.
10:01He's going to be a part of your children's lives.
10:03Even if you have a stepmother, they're always going to be there.
10:06Um, so just respecting each other, I think is important.
10:10And maybe there might be someone out there who decides to read your book and they're like,
10:16you know what, maybe I should, you know, pick up the phone and talk to my ex so we could
10:20just, uh.
10:22A hundred percent, Mike.
10:24Yeah, you know what, I'm looking for a certain word and I can't think of it.
10:28Civil, civil is the word.
10:30Exactly.
10:31Let's, let's be civil, especially for the kid.
10:34That's what it's about.
10:35It's about the kid and, and co-parenting.
10:38And there's so many messy divorces and I won't lie.
10:42Our divorce was a mess, you know, in the beginning.
10:45Um, but we put that aside because, you know, that's what you need to do when you have a kid
10:51and, and, and there's times, you know, as they get older and they're like, you're not
10:55my father or, you know, I have a father and they're learning that.
11:00Um, but he, at this young age, if you're learning like, okay, it's okay that I have two dads.
11:06Oh my gosh, my trees are trying to attack you.
11:09I know it's falling down.
11:12Um, so, you know, it's, I want, I want it to get out there at a younger age because it
11:20is becoming more common and a hundred percent, like you said, you know, when you heard that
11:27and, you know, you got upset.
11:29Um, but I don't, I don't want kids to be upset about divorce.
11:32I don't want kids to think, you know, I hate my stepfather, stepmother.
11:36Um, but what, what can I, what good is going to come from this?
11:41What positive things are going to come from this and not just two Christmases, but I can
11:48learn, I can learn something from them and something, you know, I still have my dad,
11:53but now I have another dad and, and maybe I have my grandparents or, or, you know, whatever
11:58it may be.
11:59Um, but this book is, it's just, I'm so passionate about it and I really hope it changes, um,
12:06a lot of, a lot of families and, um, it's on Amazon for sale right now.
12:12You can go on and, um, purchase it today and, um, it will be on, uh, Barnes and Noble in,
12:20uh, in March, I believe March 3rd.
12:23Nice.
12:23Yeah.
12:24So did your ex-husband and your current husband, um, did they ever want to like have a piece
12:33in like how the book was done or was it just like, I got this?
12:38Oh no, they had, I, I drew, so I drew up this whole story.
12:44Um, and then I had it illustrated.
12:47Now I illustrated it and I, I, I know this, this probably you won't be able to see it,
12:53but now this is exactly what they look like here.
12:57You know, I, this is the ex with the tattoos and the glasses.
13:00And now this is the finance manager and two different, totally different, you know, dads
13:10and, and I, you know, I got them dressed.
13:13It looks like them in the pictures.
13:16It's so funny.
13:18And then like, even the one picture, they both were just like, no way.
13:23Um, because, you know, my ex-husband, he, he loves to wear, um, cargo pants.
13:31Um, so I drew them in the cargo pants.
13:34I thought cargo pants was like something that was discontinued in 2005.
13:39No, so it's got dad and stepdad.
13:43And, but they, you know, Dex, he loves the book and he's, he was just like, it was so,
13:53it was so fun to see.
13:55And, you know, it's, it's, it's real.
13:57It's a, it's real story.
13:59It really happened.
14:00And, and, um, I, I hope this really helps people.
14:04And, uh, it was fun.
14:06It was a lot of fun to write and, uh, you know, putting it up onto Amazon and getting it
14:11there is such an accomplishment.
14:13And, um, I really appreciate you talking to me about this today.
14:17Yes, it was, uh, awesome meeting you.
14:19I think what you are doing or what you've done is, uh, something important, something,
14:25you know, kids don't really learn about at a young age.
14:30Um, so it's good to bring attention to it, especially for people like myself, who was
14:35a kid and I had to deal with the divorce of my parents and had to deal with new stepfathers
14:40and stepmothers coming into my life.
14:43Um, and just not really being able to understand what the hell is going on.
14:49Um, so what I think you're doing is amazing.
14:52And I, I, I think I could speak for all the parents out there, um, that your book will
14:59have an impact on families going through this.
15:02Um, so I can't wait to read it.
15:05I'm going to read it.
15:06Um, thank you so much.
15:09No problem.
15:10And just a quick reminder for anybody watching, anybody listening, um, how they can go about
15:17getting the book.
15:19Um, you can go right onto Amazon and type in Dexter has two dads, T-W-O, and it will pop
15:27right up right on Amazon for you and you can buy it today.
15:30And if it's Amazon prime, y'all have it the next day.
15:34Exactly.
15:35Exactly.
15:37Awesome.
15:37Well, Donna, it was a pleasure meeting you.
15:40Pleasure talking to you.
15:41Um, I got to go find that red jacket for myself because I'm jealous.
15:44I don't have it on.
15:46Um, but I wish you, your son, your husband, ex-husband, uh, nothing but success with the
15:53book.
15:53And I hope it is a massive success.
15:58I really appreciate it.
16:00Thank you so much for having me on.
16:02And, um, I really appreciate it.
16:04I hope everybody, um, gets something from the book and, um, good luck to you as well.
16:09And thank you so much.
16:11No problem.
16:11Thank you so much for taking the time.
16:13Um, we'll wrap it up there.
16:15And hopefully when this book wins a bunch of awards and you decide to write another one,
16:21we can link back up and we'll talk about the next book.
16:24That would be amazing.
16:27All right, Donna, it was a pleasure talking to you.
16:30Um, no problem.
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