This post is sponsored by Mark C. Fava. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.

What Navy Life Taught Me About Raising Kids with Character

By Mark C. Fava

The Navy never handed me a manual on how to raise three daughters.

There were plenty of manuals for airplanes, procedures, rules, missions, and just about everything else we did. As a Naval Flight Officer and Mission Commander flying in the P-3 Orion, preparation wasn’t optional. With more than 3,000 flight hours during the Cold War, including missions over the ocean tracking Soviet submarines, I learned that lesson repeatedly.

But parenting? There was no checklist.

Looking back on raising our daughters, I realize that some of the most important lessons I learned during 30 years in the Navy also became lessons we tried to teach them.

One was preparation.

In naval aviation, you prepare relentlessly. You brief the mission, study what might go wrong, know your responsibilities, and trust that the people around you know theirs.

Parenting obviously isn’t a military mission. But preparation still matters. We prepare children for moments when we won’t be standing beside them. We teach them how to make decisions, how to treat people, how to respond when things don’t go as planned, how to ask for help, and how to get back up after a mistake.

Another lesson was teamwork.

I spent much of my Navy career in a squadron and as part of a crew of twelve in the P-3 Orion. Although one person may be designated the Mission Commander, no one accomplished the mission alone. Success depended on an entire crew doing their jobs and looking out for one another.

Families work much the same way.

My wife and I raised three daughters while I balanced a Navy Reserve career with demanding civilian careers in law and business. There were weekends when I was away for Navy duty and periods when military service took me away longer. My family had to adjust right along with me.

I eventually realized that while I was the one wearing the uniform, we were all serving in our own way as a team.

The Navy also taught me about accountability. When you make a mistake in aviation, pretending it didn’t happen doesn’t make anyone safer. You acknowledge it, learn from it, and get better.

That’s a useful lesson for children—and parents.

None of us gets everything right. I certainly didn’t as a father. Character isn’t about never making mistakes. It’s about what you do afterward. Do you tell the truth? Accept responsibility? Apologize? Learn?

Perhaps the most important lesson is how we treat other people.

During my career, I served with thousands of Sailors from different places, backgrounds, and experiences. Rank determined responsibility and authority, but it never determined someone’s worth. The best leaders I knew treated everyone with dignity and respect—from the most senior officer to the most junior Sailor.

That’s something I wanted my daughters to understand: help someone who is struggling. Be kind when there is nothing to gain. Give without expecting anything in return. Show respect to the person who can do little for you. And when you succeed, remember the people who helped you get there.

Those ideas eventually became part of the inspiration for my children’s book, Andy the Admiral and the USS Shipshape. After writing Lessons from the Admiral, a leadership book for adults, I began thinking about how those same values could be introduced much earlier—not through lectures, but through sea stories.

In Andy the Admiral, children encounter teamwork, preparation, integrity, kindness, respect, and service as part of an adventure. My hope is that they enjoy the story first—and perhaps absorb a few lessons along the way.

The Navy taught me many things over 30 years. Fatherhood taught me even more.

And perhaps the biggest lesson from both is remarkably similar: leadership and character aren’t built in one dramatic moment. They’re built in hundreds of small ones—a promise kept, a kind word offered, a teammate helped, a mistake acknowledged, a job done well when no one is watching.

Those are the moments that shape Sailors.

And I believe they’re the moments that shape our children, too.

About the Book

Andy the Admiral and the USS Shipshape

Written by Mark C. Fava

Illustrated by Agus Prajogo and Yohanes Bastia

Ages: 3+ | 32 Pages | Picture Book

Publisher: Mascot Kids (2026) | ISBN-13: 979-8-89138-803-1

Publisher’s Book Summary: Climb aboard the Navy aircraft carrier USS Shipshape with Andy the Admiral and his crew! This ocean adventure is packed full of fun and valuable lessons. Readers will discover that the best Shipmates — and the best friends — show kindness, good manners, honesty, and teamwork. Welcome aboard, Shipmates!

Why Readers Love It: A standout choice for families with connections to the military, educators looking for character-education read-alouds, and any child drawn to ships, planes, and adventure on the open sea. Written by a retired U.S. Navy Captain and Naval Flight Officer, the story is inspired by real naval life and traditions — feel free to lean into that angle in your post or caption.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Mark C. Fava is a career aviation lawyer and retired naval flight officer. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a captain, having commanded three units, including an aviation squadron, and spent years flying the Navy’s P-3 Orion. He was the chief operations attorney at Delta Air Lines on 9/11 and has practiced law for more than thirty years; he is currently a vice president at the world’s largest aerospace company. Mark is the creator of the Shipshape Shipmates children’s book series and the author of Lessons from the Admiral: Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders, an award-winning leadership book. He lives in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife and three daughters.

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Tour Schedule

Date	Host	Post Type
Tue, Sep 1, 2026	The Children’s Book Review	Book Tour Kick-Off
Thu, Sep 3, 2026	The Starlit Path	Book Review
Fri, Sep 4, 2026	The Children’s Book Review	Book Review
Mon, Sep 7, 2026	Q&As with Deborah Kalb	Author Interview
Tue, Sep 8, 2026	icefairy’s Treasure Chest	Book Review
Thu, Sep 10, 2026	@nissa_the.bookworm	Instagram Post
Fri, Sep 11, 2026	Lisa’s Reading	Book Review
Mon, Sep 14, 2026	Country Mamas With Kids	Book Review
Tue, Sep 15, 2026	Life is What It’s Called	Author Interview
Thu, Sep 17, 2026	Book Zone Reviews	Book Review
Fri, Sep 18, 2026	Crafty Moms Share	Book Review
Mon, Sep 21, 2026	Un Viaje en Libro	Book Activity
Tue, Sep 22, 2026	Cover Lover Book Review	Guest Post
Thu, Sep 24, 2026	Deliciously Savvy	Guest Post
Fri, Sep 25, 2026	@MaryLanniReads	Book Review
Tue, Sep 29, 2026	The Growing Readers Podcast	Author Interview

Now To The Giveaway!

One winner will receive a hardcover copy of Andy the Admiral and the USS Shipshape. Open to legal residents of the USA — see full giveaway rules and terms on the landing page.