Tim Bete (pronounced "beet") began his nautical adventures as a child sailing on Buzzards Bay off the coast of Massachusetts. At age 10, he longed for a small cannon to put on his grandfather's 30-foot wooden ketch-a quick, two-masted vessel that is perfect for catching other ships so you can plunder 'em. His parents scuttled the cannon idea, saying he "would terrorize other boats with it." That's exactly what he had in mind.

Bete's parenting advice has been published in dozens of newspapers, magazines and Web sites, including the Christian Science Monitor, Atlanta Parent, Big Apple Parent, Northwest Family, FathersWorld.com ParentingHumor.com. His first book, In the Beginning.There Were No Diapers, was a 2006 Foreword Best Book of the Year finalist.

Bete's hobbies include pushing his luck and skating on thin ice. He's the former director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.