December 2022 - Page 2 of 3

The Wonder of Christmas

“Christmas is the day that holds all time together.” These are the words of Alexander Smith. To understand the wonder of Christmas, we must first understand the story. Let’s start with the facts, straight from Wikipedia. I will intermingle some of my favourite Christmas videos to keep you inspired. History of Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions ...

By Warwick Marsh|2022-12-18T06:21:20+10:00December 17th, 2022|Dads, Children, FAITH, FAMILIES|0 Comments

Christmas in “Die-Hard” Dad Mode

I’m usually a lot better prepared for Christmas. Not this year. This year, the week to trump all weeks caught us off-guard. We missed a beat or two in preparation for the only few weeks capable of slowing down the Western world. The weeks that remind the Scrooges and time-poor alike that life is more than hyper-consumerism and a dreary, soul-sucking 8-5 existence. A rushed Christmas is not really Christmas at ...

By Rod Lampard|2022-12-16T07:17:51+10:00December 15th, 2022|NEW DADS, Dads, FAITH, GRAND DADS|0 Comments

Defiant Hope

Advent is a season of anticipation. The birth of any child, not least the Messiah, gives us cause for hope. Earlier this week, we heard the testimony of Chris and Natalie Stefanick, a couple who had journeyed through dark seasons in their marriage. Having survived sexual abuse as a child, Natalie found she needed many years of therapy and healing. She recounted one of her darkest times, when she doubted that ...

By Byron and Francine Pirola|2022-12-15T18:54:49+10:00December 14th, 2022|LOVE & MARRIAGE, FAITH|0 Comments

Christmas for My Daughters

Joe is a mate of mine. “Mate” hardly describes our connection, yet the sporadic contact belies a relationship that holds strong meaning for me. Joe is pretty much anonymous to most, but that is of his own making. He is humble at a time when indulgence and opulence seemed to be currency. For a long time, he struggled as an artisan. Other carpentry shops that ran slave labour gazumped the hand-crafted ...

By Greg McInerney|2022-12-15T18:24:18+10:00December 13th, 2022|SINGLE DADS, FAITH|0 Comments

3 Steps to Teaching Your Child Self Control

Self-control is the ability to say “no” when you want to say “yes“! In 1972, Walter Mischel conducted one of the classic psychology experiments of all time. Children were shown into a laboratory and given a plate with a marshmallow on it. They were told they could eat it now, or if they waited a few minutes until he returned, they could have two! The experimenters found that some children had ...

By Annette Spurr|2022-12-13T09:02:17+10:00December 12th, 2022|MOTHERS, Children, Dads, FAMILIES, NEWS, RESEARCH & SCIENCE|0 Comments

Every Parent Needs to Know This – Dr Jordan Peterson

Psychologist and renowned speaker Dr Jordan Peterson has some home truths for parents. Parenting is certainly challenging, but it is a tremendous privilege and responsibility that should not be subsumed by competing priorities. Bette Davis said, “If you have never been hated by your children, you haven’t been a parent.” She is correct; being a parent is tough. Being a dad is even harder, because the buck stops with Dad! My ...

By Warwick Marsh|2022-12-30T11:15:22+10:00December 10th, 2022|Dads, Babies, Children|3 Comments

Real Dads are Dragon Slayers

Paraphrasing the great G.K. Chesterton, novelist Neil Gaiman wrote, “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” His words summarise the essence of an obscure essay from Chesterton called The Red Angel, written in defence of the ordinary hero, who is set against extraordinary odds. ‘Fairy tales don’t give the child his first idea of ...

By Rod Lampard|2022-12-30T11:15:12+10:00December 9th, 2022|NEW DADS, Dads, FAITH|2 Comments

The Growth Mindset

At our daughter’s recent award assembly, the school principal addressed the topic of ‘Growth Mindset’. She noted how education was more than merely preparing students for exams and aiming for maximum marks on their university entrance ranking. In a country where we have national examinations of all school children every two years from the age of seven, this is a somewhat radical position. The education system has always had its critics, ...

By Byron and Francine Pirola|2022-12-30T11:14:58+10:00December 7th, 2022|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments

Where Wonderful Went

I am more than a little miffed at Myer. Before I realised that I was watching an ad, the baited opening line invited, “Ever wonder where wonderful went?” and my drifting mind was hooked. I had been suckered into a wistful memory of the wonder of my own childhood. “When we were small, wonderful was everywhere.” In my world, it still is. My wonder is in taking pause when my Year ...

By Greg McInerney|2022-12-30T11:14:48+10:00December 6th, 2022|SINGLE DADS|0 Comments

Just a Mum

‘I’m just a mum,’ she said, actually looking embarrassed. ‘What does that mean?’ I asked, confused. I’d only been married a few months and kids weren’t on the agenda for us yet. ‘I used to be a sales rep for a medical company,’ she quickly added. ‘And I plan to get back into it as soon as my baby’s old enough.’ ‘Sooo, you’re a stay-at-home mum,’ I said. ‘Yeah, I know. ...

By Annette Spurr|2022-12-05T18:23:02+10:00December 5th, 2022|MOTHERS|0 Comments

News signup