July 2023 - Page 2 of 3

Managing Differences

Different personalities. Different upbringing. Different education. Different sexes. Sometimes different ethnic or religious backgrounds. With so many differences between us, is it any wonder that making decisions as a couple is complicated and sometimes conflictual? We unpack the SmartLoving framework for managing differences and making couple decisions. Byron and Francine Pirola have been married for 34 years, and between them, they have over three decades of experience in marriage and family ...

By Byron and Francine Pirola|2023-07-19T12:26:25+10:00July 19th, 2023|LOVE & MARRIAGE, PODCASTS|0 Comments

On the Other Side of Conflict

My together time with my daughters makes three people. When we are together, each of us brings our own measure of joy, mellowness, sanity, sorrow, silliness, delight, curiosity, affection, wonder and all the other hurdy-gurdy of emotions. Even though I try to have my dad radar tuned in to the emotions of two daughters, sometimes it can be a tough read. Tuning in and applying the right combination of daddy empathy ...

By Greg McInerney|2023-07-18T23:29:40+10:00July 18th, 2023|SINGLE DADS, Children, Dads, FAMILIES|0 Comments

A Night Off

I’ve found a solution to my perceived marital problems: it’s easy, you can do this too. Have a night away with the man of your dreams (this is not a reference to Ryan Gosling). I’m talking about your husband – remember when you used to dream about him? It was right before you started washing his socks and reminding him where the laundry basket lives. One night away with my husband ...

By Annette Spurr|2023-08-02T08:29:30+10:00July 17th, 2023|MOTHERS|0 Comments

The Masculine Frequency

Gordon Dalbey is a well-known writer and leader in the men’s movement. Dalbey is not travelling as much as he used to, but his legacy of wisdom lives on. His first book, Healing the Masculine Soul, released in 1988, became a classic in the worldwide men’s movement, much like the poet Robert Bly’s ground-breaking book Iron John, which was released two years later in 1990. Some time ago, a good friend encouraged me ...

By Warwick Marsh|2023-07-14T11:27:51+10:00July 14th, 2023|MANHOOD, Children, Dads, GOOD BOOKS & VIDEOS|0 Comments

Outta Puff Dads Dance for Mental Health, Manhood & Masculinity

Outta Puff Daddys (OPD) is a mixed bag of over-40s men from Brighton in the United Kingdom dancing to bridge the gap between masculinity and good mental health. It’s cringe for a good cause. Together as a group since 2012, they started life as a one-off way to encourage their kids. The “Boy Band” now uses dance routines, while capitalising on the comedy of dads on a dancefloor, to stem the ...

By Rod Lampard|2023-07-10T16:59:41+10:00July 13th, 2023|NEW DADS, MANHOOD, MENS HEALTH|0 Comments

How Expectations Set Us Up for Trouble

When we look back on our early romance, we note how quick we were to trust each other, even recklessly so. We dived into the relationship with ready abandon and little thought for the risks of rejection or disappointment. Since then, our trust levels have strengthened in many areas, and declined in others, as we’ve experienced ups and downs in our relationship. It leads us to ponder: what builds trust between ...

By Byron and Francine Pirola|2023-07-10T16:41:54+10:00July 12th, 2023|LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments

Weaponising Banks Against Men

False allegations of financial abuse can now be used to freeze accounts. Last week, Nigel Farage’s bank announced they were closing his accounts. The controversial UK politician had been with the bank for 40 years and was given no reason for the decision. Since then, Farage has tried unsuccessfully to get accounts at seven other banks. Farage believes he has been targeted by the corporate world, which “had not forgiven him ...

By Bettina Arndt|2023-07-10T15:52:22+10:00July 11th, 2023|SINGLE DADS, FAIRNESS & JUSTICE|0 Comments

Choose Your Battles

As a parent, we have so many things to look after; Making sure our kids actually eat, then also making sure it's something that will actually benefit them; Having somewhere to sleep, preferably in a bed -- warm and dry is great; and then, of course, education in our Western culture, in particular, is fairly important. Do we really need to do all of this? On top of all of this, ...

By Annette Spurr|2023-07-09T11:42:40+10:00July 10th, 2023|MOTHERS, Children, FAMILIES|0 Comments

In the Company of Great Men

2018 was a breakthrough year for me. The preceding few years had been particularly difficult, thanks to some bad decisions on my part, both in business and in my relationships. Looking back, I had fallen into passivity and failed to see the warning signs around me. Even when I was paying attention, I was slow to take action, and came close to losing my marriage and everything I had worked for. ...

By Nathaniel Marsh|2023-07-07T18:18:33+10:00July 7th, 2023|Dads, FAITH, FAMILIES, GRAND DADS, MANHOOD, RITES OF PASSAGE|0 Comments

Staying Power

Walk through any quality '80s film, and the reoccurring theme is staying power. Daniel LaRusso, Rocky Balboa, Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo? Staying power. Axel Foley, Ripley (Aliens), John McClane, Mr Miyagi, and Maverick? Again, staying power. Add to this, characters played by some of the 80's best female actors: Meryl Streep, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathleen Turner, and Goldie Hawn. Their undeniable hidden strength is staying power. https://youtu.be/uXXPbti2nVM Look at ...

By Rod Lampard|2023-07-05T13:44:44+10:00July 6th, 2023|NEW DADS, Dads, FAITH, FAMILIES, GOOD BOOKS & VIDEOS, LOVE & MARRIAGE|0 Comments

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