Rod Lampard

The Dad Who Dares Wins: The Family Who Gardens Together, Grows Together

Gardening can be great fun, but it can also be a time to build into the life of your family. The family that gardens together -- developing and cultivating God's creation -- grows together. Me and Gardening Horticulture isn’t a strength of mine. Given the choice, I’d side with Bear Grylls over Sir David Attenborough; watch technology, and war history documentaries, over a Monty Don walk through French provincial gardens. (Nothing ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-09-24T23:32:23+10:00September 25th, 2021|Dads, FAMILIES, NEW DADS|0 Comments

Our Degree of Immersion Online Impacts Our Ability to be a Dad

How much tech time is too much tech time for a Dad? The general rule of thumb through which I measure this is by the degree of immersion. Some technology is a flat-out grind. It’s designed to draw in, keep and convert its prey. https://youtu.be/UjOmX-1Tq0o Tech is Designed this Way To be fair, all this is done to incite repeat customs. There’s nothing inherently unethical about this since designers operate ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-09-17T16:32:22+10:00September 17th, 2021|Dads, FAMILIES, NEW DADS|0 Comments

Some of the Best Father’s Day Gifts Come with Cracks and Glue

I would love to say that my kids are finely tuned Father’s Day instruments honed to always make the perfect choice. Imagine them as well-trained, hawkish, retail warriors, who, with pinpoint accuracy hit their gift-for-dad target with the prowess of a sharp shooter. We don’t live in a perfect “man cave” world, so, I’d be lying to even suggest it. As much as I love their decision making, my kids are ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-09-13T06:09:38+10:00September 11th, 2021|Dads, FAMILIES, NEW DADS|1 Comment

10 Life-Giving Hacks for Living Within Lockdown Limits

Health-hindering lockdowns are by no means fun. The routine COVID-19 “stay home” decrees were agreeably necessary when little was known about the virus. 19 months on, government decrees are less about preserving health, and more about governments serving themselves. There’s little doubt that keeping people scared, helps an increasingly militant bureaucracy keep emergency powers firmly in their hands. It’s with this in mind that I’m reluctant to give out ideas for ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-08-27T21:50:35+10:00August 28th, 2021|Children, Dads, FAMILIES|0 Comments

Time Margins End the Marginalisation of Men From Families

Margin is a term entrenched in the financial world. Margin trading. Stock margin. Profit margin -- the examples are vast. In situ, it means the sum total between a ‘product or service's selling price and the cost of production’. In practice, margin is a buffer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onxDxK_N6K8 In other words, margin is whatever fills the gap between success and ruin. Margin is what’s left over after both variable and invariable costs have ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-08-20T11:06:47+10:00August 20th, 2021|Dads, FAMILIES, GOOD BOOKS & VIDEOS, MENS HEALTH, NEW DADS|0 Comments

Tag Team Vs. Good Cop, Bad Cop Parenting

Avoid "good cop, bad cop" parenting as much as possible. In fact, ditch it altogether. A system that elevates mums over dads, or dads over mums, doesn’t work. Good cop, bad cop parenting’s long-term costs negate any short-term benefits. The system is a recipe for favouritism, resentment and parental neglect. Potentially even divorce. https://youtu.be/gYYYOhq08Vg Good cop, bad cop is a poor metaphor for parenting. It’s even worse as an instruction manual ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-08-15T07:45:15+10:00August 14th, 2021|Dads, LOVE & MARRIAGE, MOTHERS, NEW DADS|0 Comments

Bond-building Couch Co-op Video Games

Video games can be great bond-builders. With the demise of couch co-op, options for split-screen adventures are few and far between. Computer games are not the community-building tool they once were. Companies like DICE, EA and even Mojang followed the Silicon Valley maximum profit trend by limiting customisable consumer options. Buy an Apple product, for example, and they lock you into paying for their expensive branded accessories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48NAQCSnHdQ Console-makers, game ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-08-07T13:29:16+10:00August 7th, 2021|Children, Dads, FAMILIES|0 Comments

The all-star TV dads who slam the sloppy stereotypes

Not all TV dads are the same. Take examples like Tim Allen’s sharp-witted Mike Baxter, and contrast him with Matt Groening’s, feckless Homer Simpson. Forget for a moment that we’re talking about cartoon vs. human. In any greatest-dad-of-all-time celebrity boxing match, we know Baxter would win. The outdoor man vs. the “Duff” guzzling, obese, inattentive, drooling, lounge lizard. A father with strength, humility, and a no-nonsense embrace of free speech, up ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-07-31T15:49:08+10:00July 31st, 2021|Dads, FAMILIES, GOOD BOOKS & VIDEOS, NEW DADS|0 Comments

Dad-life is a Verb

Dad-life involves both being and doing. In a word, fatherhood is a vocation. The Latin equivalent is vocare -- “to call.” Dad-life is therefore a “calling.” It’s much more than just another job. https://youtu.be/Eor3779ECFI For sure, fatherhood is full-time work. We’re required to be on the scene until the good Lord retires us. This will mean being waste-deep in the complexity of relationships. Wading through life’s trenches carrying responsibility and ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-07-23T20:52:00+10:00July 23rd, 2021|Dads, FAITH, FAMILIES, GOOD BOOKS & VIDEOS, NEW DADS, PREGNANCY & BIRTH|0 Comments

Freedom From the Fear of Failing — New Fathers and Navy Seals

Editor's Note: This is a profoundly real and self-revelatory article for those fathers who are grappling with the deeper issues of fatherhood. Full congratulations to Rod Lampard for sharing his journey with us. This is a case of strong meat for strong men. ___ “You’re just like your father.” This was the fictional narrative of my formative years. Instead of using my name when things got heated between us, my family ...

By Rod Lampard|2021-07-16T20:09:21+10:00July 16th, 2021|Dads, FAITH, GOOD BOOKS & VIDEOS, NEW DADS|0 Comments

About Rod Lampard