Cop's Grand Love Story

Daily Telegraph

Daily Telegraph article

Artwork by The Illustrators

Red curly haired girl looking sad in her bedroom
Sad curly haired girl walking along a path
Happy curly haired girl with baby brother next to a cubby house
Superhero Dad

Cranky Pants by Ryan Jeffcoat
Published by Olympia Publishers
Artwork by The Illustrators
ISBN: 978-1-78830-435-1
Category: Children's / Family and Health

‘I need you to listen and understand why, sometimes it is that I make you cry. I am a little foggy right now. I am just like the rain clouds way up in the sky! I will try to explain what it is like in my brain! Why it is all fuzzy like the fog and the rain.' How do you explain to your child why their dad has become ‘a cranky pants with hair'? Why he is angry, but not with you. A candid and heart wrenching look at the effects of PTSD on a man and his family. An explanation that a child can understand, hope for the future and a promise to return, fully restored, to his children. Both traumatic and reassuring with beautiful illustrations that will touch your heart.

Much of my adult life was spent in the service of my state. When I became a father and a husband I began to realise what was truly important. My time as a Protective Services Officer for the Australian Federal Police and as a Detective in the New South Wales Police Force had left me hardened and sceptical to many bright colours of the world. Jaded and emotionally drained, it began to take its toll on me and my family. In March 2018 I was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. I had reached my use by date. Through the love and support of my wife, children and medical professionals I am on the very long road to recovery. Now medically retired from the New South Wales Police Force I am learning to live again.