As a parent, you have to be able to lead family discussions with a listening ear, respecting each family member’s point of view. From the diversity of opinions, in love you can forge a united course of action. Sincere agreement is vital for harmony and effectiveness. Many years ago, Dads4Kids convened Australia’s first-ever Fathering Forum in Federal Parliament in Canberra. Almost 30 different groups were represented. The one thing each group ...

The stall at the Salamanca Market with a large sprig pulled from a peppercorn tree caught my attention. The farm my dad grew up on had an enormous peppercorn tree and many of my memories that bring on a smile feature that tree as a backdrop… the rusted chains draped over a lofty branch that held the swing… to the home-hewn plank of a weatherworn seat of a swing… Granddad sawing ...

James Richards, a dad in the United Kingdom, has taken a different approach to discipline, and he’s winning props for the idea. The Kent father-of-three came up with a creative way to reach his chore-averse kids by using an example from history to teach them gratitude, as well as the difference between work and slavery. Richards, fed up with his children going AWOL from the housework, decided to act. Visual Reminder ...

I know that I gravitate to the happy, good things that each day of adventure delivers. Still, there are those occasional times when I struggle as great joy butts squarely up against sadness. I can have tears leak out while wearing a delighted smile. The simultaneous happy-sad thing doesn’t happen too often. Typically, it comes of wondering where my children are right now, wanting a moment to walk a bit with ...

If mothers and children are to be properly supported, educators and employers must recognise the vital role of fathers as caregivers too. “Schools and companies need to understand that dads can be parents too.” An article recently published by Employee Benefit News rightly argued that ‘companies need to support working dads as caregivers.’ Despite its war-on-the-patriarchy, gender-neutral, wonky woke tone, EBN’s argument, put forward by associate editor Deanna Cuadra, hit the ...

Laughter, Sex, Vegetables and Fish — 10 Secrets of Long-Living People is definitely a book title that is going to grab your attention. Many years ago, I was standing in a bookshop in Tasmania, trying to find my credit card so that I could invest in a book on how to live longer. It was a long-life investment! Dr John Tickell is a medical doctor, international speaker, bestselling author, and television ...

Fatigue can be fatal. Like grief, it hits every one of us in different ways. The best we can do is work the process by way of exercise, rest, and diet, in order to manage a way through it. While maintaining a healthy lifestyle adds another chore to the dad-list, being healthy-minded not only builds energy — it relieves stress, clears the head, and opens the door to more family activities. ...

A cherished friend of mine has just died. I cried with my daughters, struggling to get the words out as I related how dear Joe has been. I love Joe for the soft kindness he delivered. He gave me a sense of being a full dad every time I saw him. He told me, “You are such a good man,” and I cry again when I feel those words in the ...

I recently let myself be cajoled into letting my children make up ground on their lack of Saturday morning TV. While I am not allergic to television, I do have some sensitivity to the ‘entertainment’ that plays for laughs from overworked stereotypes. Telly dad is too often the bumbling weekend layabout who misses his children’s school play. Mum is the clean freak and giggly friend to the daughter. The TV brother ...

Mistakes dads often make when problem-solving tend to fall into three categories: Cavalier disinterest; Rage quitting; or Jumping the gun. Problem-solving is a chance to weld together a relationship built on trust, love, and reliability. Anything less than a total commitment to finding a resolution is a wasted opportunity. It’s the Homer Simpson of all stuff-ups. The That 70’s Show “dumb ass” answer from Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith) to everything.   ...

Netflix’s recent release, "The Adam Project" (2022), blends the issues surrounding family, identity and morality with swashbuckling fight scenes and the wondrous concept of time travel to produce a (mostly) family-friendly film that is a paean to fatherhood, love and self-sacrifice.

Australian Olympian Bree Walker finds strength from her father, who ever encourages her to greater heights. He has been dedicated to supporting her in her sporting endeavours since childhood, sacrificing that she may succeed in her passions. Once a father, always a father. You will find that as your children grow up, they still need you. Just in different ways! Read this incredible story of Mick Walker and his 29-year-old daughter ...

Generally speaking, learning the fine art of apologising is a life skill we all must learn. The health of our relationships pivots on humility, as much as they do honesty. Child therapist Meri Wallace, writing in Psychology Today, echoed this sentiment, stating that an apology is a sign of strength, not weakness. ‘It shows,’ Wallace affirmed, ‘that mums and dads care enough to take responsibility for their negative actions and make ...

Taking the time to bring our children on a challenging adventure in the midst of majestic nature can build their self-confidence while strengthening family bonds. Adventure is key to personal and community growth. Mt Wellington is my playground. The mix of seasons might be regarded as its personality. Sometimes it takes an effort to make ground — its tearing broodiness very apparent in the angry, chilling wind and murky shadows cast ...

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” is a saying by the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle in 330BC. The fact that he came up with it must mean he attended a Men’s Leadership Summit. I am still buzzing two weeks later and still trying to figure out why the Summit was so good. The speakers were brilliant, the mountain bush setting was beautiful, the attendees were remarkable, the ...

Hostile Territory, the latest offering from actor, director, and writer Brian Presley, has all the right dads-for-kids ingredients. Set in Missouri in the mid-1860s, the 2022 film is an award-worthy western with a crisp contemporary edge. The well-thought-out script follows battle-hardened Union army Captain Jack Calgrove, who, at war’s end, finds his kids gone and his wife dead. As he was presumed KIA, Calgrove’s children were dispatched by the US Army ...

This Father’s Day, may fathers everywhere receive a big bundle of love from their children. May healing and reconciliation take place where required, and may fathers step up to their calling as loving dads and role models for their offspring. The team at Dads4Kids wishes all Dads, all over Australia, a happy Father’s Day. It is always a busy time for us with the release of our new Father’s Day TV ...

Dads set the tone and build the context for relationships in their home. Father’s Day is a good opportunity to reflect this tone back by making the day one for food, family, and festivity. Report after report, study after study, and testimony after testimony, repeatedly tell society that dads live out an indispensable role in the life, health, and evolution of the man for woman, woman for man family unit. (See ...

Here’s some dad-spiration like no other. Mike Trinh, an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter from Texas, took down a mid-sized alligator in his driveway before dropping his kids off at school. Trinh retold the event on Instagram, saying, he first dismissed his daughter’s alligator alert, because he thought she was messing with him in an attempt to dodge her first day of middle school. Unexpected Visitor After visually checking the driveway, ...

This Father’s Day Chocolate Plane Craft is easy for kids to make as an edible gift for Dad! Am I the only one who sometimes struggles to find the right gift for Father’s Day? Whether it’s for my dad or my husband, they both like practical gifts, but sometimes I want to give them something a bit more special. I asked my dad while we were working if he wanted anything ...