Silly giggles, 3 am feeds, bedtime cuddles, wiped tears and heart-to-hearts. These are the moments you’ll treasure when your little one is all grown up. I reckon that if anyone ever does invent a time machine, it’ll be a mum. After all, wouldn’t you give everything you own to have one last snuggle with your little one, while they still think you’re the most amazing person they know? Losing Time A ...

The proposed Family Law Amendment legislation by the Labor Government will be another case of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, instead of fixing the hole in the hull to stop the ship from going down. Many of the reform proposals, such as considering the best interests of the child, are well-intentioned, but unless they solve the fundamental problem, they really become another layer of bureaucracy to waste taxpayers’ money. ...

A unique story testifying to the bond between father and daughter has set parts of the internet on fire. Luis, a 78-old-year old dad living in Spain, was forced into a retirement home because of a loss of independence. This separated Luis from his inseparable, 38-year-old daughter, Estefania, who was born with Down Syndrome. Although Estefania lives in the same centre as her father, their necessary level of care requires separate ...

Anything worth having is never free. As Francine and I raced around on a typical Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves at the local shopping village together. Never one to waste the opportunity to gain a ‘good husband’ brownie point, I declared we should have a ‘coffee date’. Naturally, Francine obliged — she practically never says no to a ‘date’, no matter how pathetic. (Have I ever mentioned my “do you want ...

A few weeks ago, on an impulse and wanting to share a snapshot of my post-separation status, I wrote a part-whimsical, part-serious piece about the worst parts of being a single dad. By implication, if some parts are worst, then there must be some best bits, says my cerebral dialogue. Voice Number One says the best bit is simply being a dad. Voice Number One ignores the “single” tag and just ...

Helicopter parents are well-meaning parents who hover over their kids. If something happens, heaven forbid, such as falling over, fighting over a toy, or getting a bad grade, helicopter parents swoop in and do everything they can to make things better. Sometimes being a helicopter parent is a good thing — in crowds, near water, or anywhere that physical danger exists. Stunted Growth But helicopter parenting when it’s playtime, sports time, ...

Family law expert Patrick Parkinson says Labor’s proposal to amend the Family Law Act is a radical change that will take Australia back to when mothers were granted primacy in custody battles. The results for dads will be devastating.

A thousand words are said to be sparked by a single image. While smartphones, Insta-perfect apps, and polished pics have superseded canvas, brush strokes, oil, and acrylic, there’s still a lot of love for the latter. Millions are paid out every year just for a chance to own a framed part of history. It doesn’t take a smug, over-educated curator “specialising in the sublime” to point out the value this window ...

The most powerful influence on a couple is their family of origin. Good or bad, our experiences in our childhood prepared us for marriage. The young couple sitting opposite us had been married only a few years. They were experiencing some health challenges, but this is not what brought them to us; they were locked in a perpetual low-grade argument that never seemed to end. They were so ‘wired’, almost every ...

This week a television crew from the Japanese public broadcaster came to Sydney to interview family law specialist Justin Dowd, a former President of the NSW Law Society. Japan is considering a move away from mum-custody towards “joint parental authority” — which recognises that it’s in the best interests of children to have both mum and dad remain involved in their care. The Japanese crew came to Australia because they acknowledge ...

Now I’m a Nonna and have raised my own children, I can relax and watch as my son parents his little girl. I think back to myself as a young mum and I wonder what words of wisdom I could share with her. The things I know now — hmmm… I’m always learning and growing, so I guess even these words will change as I continue my life’s path. However, here’s ...

“No man is useless while he has a friend,” are the wise words of Robert Louis Stevenson. The poet John Donne said it this way, “No man is an island.” The bottom line is MEN — we need each other. Better still, we need friends for both the short term and long term. More importantly, we need to choose them wisely. Brad Stulberg is an author and high-level performance coach at ...

Australian mateship is a cornerstone of our culture, but an increasing number of Australia men say they’re lonely. A new app aims to bring them back together. January 2023: Whether it’s used to describe friends who are always free for a beer or soldiers on the battlefield, the term ‘mateship’ is a symbol of unconditional support, especially when times are challenging. But, there’s a gap between the iconic idea of mateship ...

American Bald Eagles usually mate for life. Living between 20-30 years in the wild, the main mascots of the United States since 1782 also share traditional parenting roles. Thanks to modern tech, researchers have gathered more knowledge about this North American icon’s parenting skills, much of which comes from a platoon of Live Eagle Cams made available by conservationist groups. (Slight segue: These Eagle Cams are a great idea for a ...

In a recent discussion at a youth conference, it was put to us by some of the participants that premarital sex was acceptable as long as it was a ‘committed’ relationship. Casual sex was seen to be inappropriate and perhaps dangerous, but if the couple were in a committed dating situation, then sex was okay. It sounds very reasonable and moderate, even mature; there is a certain sense of respect for ...

I separated from my ex-wife a few years ago. I think that it was five years ago. It could have been six. On reflection, the first six months seemed like six years. During the frenzied rush of committing to a rental and buying a car and purchasing beds for my daughters, plenty of well-meaning people offered the saying that “things will get better… they always do!” Yes, things do get better, ...

On Saturday I dropped my daughter off to do a school assignment with her friends. On the way home there was a FREE car wash. That’s always music to my ears. So why on earth would people give up a beautiful Saturday morning to wash cars for other people… FOR FREE? These weren’t just ordinary people — these were people whom many say are self-centred, insensitive and really don’t care about ...

“A lot of men feel pressured by Valentine’s Day. They don’t like being expected to do something romantic for their wife or girlfriend on an arbitrary date on the calendar. They flinch when their mate drops hints in early February about what flowers or candy she prefers.” These are the words of Professor William Doherty, one of the world’s most recognised academic authorities on marriage and family. He was one of ...

A Pew study released mid-January suggests a majority of mums and dads in the United States are prioritising money over marriage. 90% of those quizzed about ‘aspirations’ for their children ‘prioritized financial independence and career satisfaction’ as numero uno. Material Success The Research Centre’s findings claimed that for a majority of parents, ‘it’s extremely or very important their children be financially independent when they are adults.’ Almost as ‘equally important’ for ...

What Are the Signs and What Do They Mean? In today’s dating scene, there is a great deal of confusion about commitment and what it means. Scott Stanley*, one of the foremost thinkers on commitment, suggests that the old ‘commitment phobia’ explanation doesn’t fully explain the dilemma in which dating couples find themselves. One reason for this is the confusion between ‘public displays of affection’ and ‘public displays of commitment’. We’re ...