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About Norman Lieberman

We’re all uniquely qualified to write on the subject of fathers because we all have a father. No one person’s view is more valid than another’s. We each have a unique perspective on our fathers that no one else in the entire universe has.

As a child, I was disruptive and hyperactive. No big joy to my parents, I’m sure. As a teenager, I got into trouble and often acted impulsively. Needless to say, school success was not in the cards.

After high school, I feared “what next”? I didn’t have a strong background in anything, so I went to college. I had to work ten times harder than other students in order to catch up from having slacked off in public schools. As my parents would say, “It’s a miracle he made something of himself.”

I graduated college with honors, then went to graduate school and performed very well there too. I discovered that if I didn’t maintain a social life and studied instead, sat in the first row and asked questions, then I could succeed.

My impetuosity lasted well into adulthood. I was a risk taker and often spoke and acted before I should. One day, I came across a book on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I’d never heard of the condition before. I started exploring and reading more on the subject. This was a major “aha!” moment in my life. I found myself on almost every page of these books.

After experimenting with different psychiatrists and various combos of medicine, I settled on one great psychiatrist whose practice leans toward Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) patients. He got me on some medication that positively changed my life.

I’m an Executive Recruiter (headhunter) in California. Besides making placements, I enjoy the personal interaction and the reality that each search assignment puts entirely new people in front of me. It is enjoyable to learn about the lives of others and to be able to impact a few of them in a positive way. I have also taught college courses as an adjunct evening schoolteacher.

It seems I’m drawn to jobs that help others. The writing of UnderstandingDad is also an attempt to help others. I hope this journal sparks the flame of your creativity so you and your father can have better communication. If this happens, you and your family will be able to reminisce about the answers to the life questions that your dad answered just for you.

The concept behind UnderstandingDad evolved into reality when my dad was dying in Sept. 2001. My dad was more a “doer” than a talker. He could fix or build amost anything. Frankly, until his last days, we simply didn’t think of asking Dad a lot of personal questions.

My deepest heartfelt thanks goes to my girlfriend and life partner, Karin Schaefer, for her patience, encouragement, numerous edits, love and devotion. I am so blessed having her in my life. My dad really loved her too.

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