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 ...

“As iron sharpens iron so does the face of a man’s friend,” is a saying from the book of Proverbs. It really sums up the mysterious masculine healing power that is released when men gather together for a noble purpose. I have experienced this mysterious force in men’s gatherings at so many different levels and in so many different ways, for the last 40 years. I just love it when men ...

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. 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 commitment, regardless ...

At last, the tools to help you cope with change. Get them here in this feature-rich podcast: part 5 of Thrive Through Change. Do you struggle to cope with change? Are you trying to battle through change in your life and not really coping? In part 5, we round off the series with the tools that you can use to help you move through the 4 phases of change discussed in ...

It’s always fascinating reading about what other people have accomplished in life. Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, was the richest man in America when he died in 1992 at the age of 74. He started Walmart in 1962, so in forty years he had revolutionised retailing in America, received the Medal of Freedom and built the foundation of the soon-to-be-named biggest company in the world. Whatever you think of Walmart ...

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 ...

In part 4 of Thriving Through Change, Guy and Chris continue the discussion on how to cope with change. In this episode, Guy explains the 4-part Hudson change model for understanding where you are at in the change cycle. Ever been chasing a dream, a big goal, a vision, but then become disillusioned with the whole thing? Things you assumed were constant are now being questioned? Can see change coming, and ...

My good friend Robert Day sent me a link. He said, “Check out Gavin Topps and his ‘Fight Like a Pro’ Program”. Rob is a Dads4Kids board member. He has worked with men all his life. He knows men. So, I just had to check it out for myself. Below is the challenging call to Manhood from the Gavin Topps Rite of Passage for the Modern Man landing page. “Friend, if ...

You might remember the fantastic Prager University “Make Men Masculine Again” video that we featured in our weekly Dads4Kids newsletter in 2018. It now has over 10 million views. Recently, Dennis Prager from Prager University put out a powerful video called “Are Fathers Necessary?”  Sadly, it will most likely be shadow-banned by Facebook and YouTube, as was the “Make Men Masculine” video. George Orwell was right to say, “There are some ...

What is the secret to raising resilient children? Matthew McConaughey is an extremely popular American actor and producer who has a story to tell about raising resilient children. His new book, a memoir called Greenlights, which includes some of these stories, is selling well. McConaughey has received many awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Here is a short transcript (7:28 – 11:44) of ...

Yesterday I heard a disturbing story. My friend rang me to share how his son had recently gone through a very sad divorce. He shared with his Dad how the unreality of the digital world, that many young people live in today, was a major contributor to his divorce and his general lack of wellbeing. My friend’s son pointed out that after a while, for the inhabitant of the digital world, ...

“Yes Day — you have to see it, Warwick,” he said with unbridled enthusiasm. “It is a great family movie that every family should watch!” His strong recommendation really caught my interest. For one thing, he is married but has no children. Secondly, my friend is a very switched-on, media-savvy guy, who is passionate in his support of fathers and families.   Yes Day, the movie, is based on a bestselling ...

Elbert Hubbard said, “Do not take life too seriously, you will never get out of it alive.” Victor Borge said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Comedian and counsellor JP Sears put the above advice into practice in his brilliant YouTube video called “Man Scripts — How to Never Get in Trouble with Her Again”. These scripts will put a smile on your face and a laugh in your ...

Ian ‘Watto’ Watson said, “I have never seen a bloke go backwards with encouragement.” Ian Watson spoke at the very first Men’s Leadership Summit at Paluma Range, north of Townsville, in 2013. Sadly, Ian passed away in 2019. The good news is that he left a massive legacy of encouragement for men the world over.   Rhonda McKenzie, Ian Watson’s niece, said this about him at his memorial service in a ...

Several years ago, on International Men’s Day, Canberra’s ABC radio station rang me up and wanted to do an interview in Drive Time. I was happy to do it, until I found out my interviewer was a lady. Not that I have anything against the ladies, but ABC women (and many of the men) are noted for their bias against the male of the species. However, I am always up for ...

Robert Falzon, a good friend of mine in the men’s movement, asked me to contribute a chapter to his new book called Raising Fathers: Fathering from the Frontline — 12 Men’s Stories. Here is an excerpt from my contribution. It was a fine weather Sunday in this small resort town. The café was full of people having their lunch. No one seemed to recall seeing the young man with blonde hair ...

Millions of Australian Dads will hear and see Dads4Kids‘ Best Daddy musical Community Service Advertisements over the next 12 months. They will be inspired to become who their children already think they are: ‘The Best Dad in the World’. Dads4Kids sees the whole year as a time to strengthen family relationships and encourage Dads, not only around Father’s Day. These CSAs will be seen on free to air TV over the ...

The New York Times says that Jordan Peterson is “a patriarchal pseudointellectual riding his devilish dark horse into stardom and corrupting everybody in his path, at best an idiot fraud and at worst the most dangerous thinker in the West”. From the point of view of those who hate men, the New York Times is right. Jordan Peterson is extremely dangerous to the lies they peddle. The good news is, he ...

“Have you seen Best Daddy, Warwick?” This was the short cryptic text I received from my friend Hayden Gillie from Warrnambool. Hayden is the sort of guy who doesn’t say much about something, unless it is really good. I was not disappointed when I watched the Best Daddy music video featuring Cody & the Qualls family. I cried with joy, not only because Cody Qualls is a great songwriter and dazzling ...

Father-daughter duo Mat and Savanna Shaw performed a version of The Prayer on their YouTube channel two months ago, and they could never have imagined what happened next. The musical family went totally viral, earning almost 6 million views on their video. They were both stuck at home because of the coronavirus, and they decided to use their talents to encourage people in the midst of the crisis.   My background ...