Harvey MacKay said, “The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships.” MacKay knows a thing or two. Harvey is a very successful businessman, married for over 50 years to his architect wife, with three children and eleven grandchildren. Harvey MacKay has sold over 10 million books about business and building a successful life. Interviewing Steve Smith for the Dads4Kids podcasts reminded me a lot of Harvey ...

Retired NFL head coach and African-American hall of famer Tony Dungy wants dads kicking dad-goals into the endzone. The 66-year-old author, father of 11 children, and NBC gridiron analyst is also the co-founder of All Pro Dad, a non-profit branch of pro-marriage outreach Family First. In his 2016 hall-of-fame acceptance speech, Dungy (pronounced: Dun-gee) credited his head coach, the late Denny Green, for some of his ‘All Pro Dad’ skills. All-Round ...

Kevin Allen was a pretty committed father before he did the ‘Good to Great’ Fathering Course. When he completed the course in 2019, he went through a supercharging process in his fathering. I can remember talking with Kevin shortly after he finished the course. He told me at the time that his business bottom line had improved markedly. More importantly, his relationships with his three young children had changed completely for ...

Florida’s controversial governor and father of three Ron DeSantis has weighed into the fatherlessness crisis by signing a fatherhood initiative into law. Dubbed the Fatherless Initiative, the core of DeSantis’ HB (House Bill) 7065 is about helping at-risk youth, through ‘mentor programs, education’, as well as ‘one-on-one support to encourage responsible and involved fatherhood in Florida.’ The ex-JAG Republican Governor signed groundbreaking kids’ legislation in April. One of the bill’s principal ...

I was asked to share some of my experiences of being a dad. The only reason that I am doing so is that I was the first to say “yes” to the invitation. Your story is as unique as mine. Your tales of being a dad are equally special. Your own feelings about being a proud dad are as genuine as mine and your dad jokes are likely to be just ...

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 ...