An ex-con has set up a fantastic initiative called Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club, aiming to prevent fatherlessness from harming the next generation. By getting dads involved with their children’s education, Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club improves the lives of both father and child. The tragic mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, along with the continuing body count from shootings in Chicago, Illinois, shines a spotlight on the urgency to answer the absent dad ...

“Love is the greatest force in the universe”. These are the words of Dr Martin Luther King, America’s greatest civil rights leader. Dr King was assassinated in 1968 and so proved these words in unmistakable fashion. Twenty years ago, on 1 May 2002, Dads4Kids was officially incorporated as a charitable association. Our mission remains the same as it was then. Our main focus is still a better life for our children: ...

Making the time and effort to establish regular healthy eating patterns for your family will go a long way in creating quality bonding time and a lifetime of nourishing habits for your children. Food is fundamental in forging a healthy family. There’s something to be said about making the effort to gather the family around a hot meal as regularly as possible. I also find there’s a lot of clout in ...

“Father Stu” is not a movie for the fainthearted, but with the true story of a man who overcame his trauma and his failures to become a solid spiritual father, it has an inspiring message for us all. I go to movie theatres these days in fear and trembling. I just don’t know if I am going to like what I see. Sometimes it is like buying a ticket in a ...

When you analyse the social science about the importance of dads, it is unequivocal. Dads are vitally important to their children’s success in a myriad of ways. As George Herbert said, “One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.” This is not speculation — it is reality. Joshua A Krisch puts the case well for this in an article titled “The Science of Dad and the ‘Father Effect’“. The subtitle says ...

Five more tips for dads on how to maximise your Minecraft gaming fun for some quality time with your children. For decades, I’ve been an avid videogame consumer. From an Amstrad in the ’80s, to rented Nintendos in the 90s, to console, and PC level MMORGs in the 00s, videogaming has been part of the casual way I’ve spent my downtime. While I’ve all but resigned from this virtual playground — ...

This weekend, sit down with your family and enjoy the moving true story of a grieving widower and dad rebuilding his family while putting a whole zoo back together. If you’ve seen the 2012 Matt Damon movie, you know the basic narrative. We Bought a Zoo is the story of a widower and father of two, who, along with his family, buys a dilapidated zoo. He then embarks on the financially ...

Seize the moment and spend time with the people you love and doing the things which you actually want to do. We are not guaranteed tomorrow — let us make the best use of today. We need to live now, not in the past, or in the future. Jonathan Larson was wise to say, “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.” Steve Maraboli put it this way, “At the end ...

Putting aside your ego and having the humility to seek advice or help, or learn more from others, is essential in maturing as a father and helping your family as a whole. Chris Gardner credits the power of being teachable for raising him and his son out of homelessness. The single dad at the centre of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness wasn’t always a fan of asking questions. Retrospectively, Gardner ...

Let us love our fathers and bear patiently with them in their old age, just as they were patient and loving with us in our infancy. It is hard to explain the love a father has for his children. This story called ‘Father’s Love’, found on a website hosting thousands of stories from all over the world, does a great job. “An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his ...

Becoming a man and a father requires the ability to commit to your family and to sacrifice for them. Here is a frank interview of a dad who had to learn the virtue of commitment while on the job. Benjamin Franklin said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Zig Ziglar, one of the world’s greatest motivational speakers, put it this way, “The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, ...

The words we say are of immense importance to our children, who look to us for wisdom and an example of how to think, speak and act. Let us listen carefully to their questions and answer thoughtfully, knowing that we are laying a foundation for the rest of their lives. Is it possible that dad is never wrong? Just because dad said so, it must be true. Well, probably not, but ...

Despite the failings and traumas handed down from past generations, with the grace of God, we can break free of toxic cycles and build a far better future for our children. Those who grow up hurting from being fatherless can learn from our parents’ mistakes and develop into life-giving, dedicated fathers. Like every single one of our five kids, wearing the dad hat was for me a cliched process of having ...

Intentionally creating adventures for your children helps your family to grow and bond together in memorable ways which build an excellent foundation for a lifetime. I believe it is a father’s job to create adventures for his children. Pam Brown put it so beautifully in her famous quote, “Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, storytellers, and singers of songs.” Some time ago, I wrote of one ...

Encouraging our children to dream and have a vision to work towards, can help them set goals and get their creative juices flowing, beginning a lifelong quest to build a better future. Saturday morning, driving home from the beach, my 12-year-old son and me, reminiscing and reliving every wave, every manoeuvre, the joy and delight from our early morning surf. Life couldn’t be any better, until… “Dad, look at that, ooohhhh ...

While homeschooling, a timetable is necessary, but so is the ability to pivot and make space for unexpected events. A balance of routine and flexibility will create a healthy learning environment. Make this an axiom: routine is life, yet without flexibility, a routine life is dull. Without elasticity, routine devolves into a rigid, joyless obsession over ledger ticks and timestamps. Flexibility saves routine from its inevitable dreary end. In the context ...

Parenting a strong-willed child can be challenging, but with various techniques, it can be very rewarding. Channel their energy into productive activities, and communicate clearly with them to achieve mutual goals. I’ll begin by saying: I love my strong-willed child. She’s full of light, is daring, boisterous, spirited, and loud. Strong-willed children, as defined by Psychology Today, are children ‘who are stubborn and always have to get their way.’ Writing for ...

Nappy changing is an acquired skill. Once you have mastered this fine art, you can look forward to all the following levels of fatherhood! When it comes to the art and skill of fathering, a lot has changed since the ‘wonder years’ of our father’s or grandfathers’ generation. Oh, the good old days — the prospective parent, relegated to the smoke-filled waiting room, hospital staff deeming it inappropriate for fathers to ...

Homeschoolers need holidays too. Breaks are opportunities to grow and flourish as a family — a valuable time for exploration and rejuvenation. While the home education timetable doesn’t have to follow allotted times for school term breaks set by the government, it is generally a good idea to keep in step with them. We are a homeschooling family on the go. School holidays are a chance to change pace. A chance ...

Developing a close friendship with your spouse and children through mutual shared interests helps to cement the bond as a family, creating lasting lifelong relationships. Many people ask us how we have raised five well-balanced, successful children.  They are amazed at the close friendship we have as a family. Often, we are equally amazed because we know all the mistakes we have made as parents. We feel at times like it ...