Being a parent can be a tough task — but a variety of tricks can help make the battles of childcare a little less stressful. While many methods are well-known and practical, others are more controversial.

It’s true! And now there’s a study that proves it. Finally, I have the ammunition I need to convince hubby that our next date night movie should be a rom-com, rather than an action flick. Researchers who conducted a study involving 174 couples found that those who discussed five movies about relationships over a month cut the three-year divorce rate for newlyweds in half. Superior Choice Okay, so the research is ...

Some time ago I was busy working in my own office when I heard my wife talking in the next office to a stranger. Being the inquisitive type, I opened my door to shake hands with Bill, who was inspecting the services in our office on behalf of the landlord. Bill, realising he was in the offices of Dads4Kids, started to ply me with questions about parenting. He asked, “How should ...

Recently, I was able to catch the 2021 comedy-drama "Fatherhood", starring the irrepressible Kevin Hart of "Jumanji" fame. The film centres on single dad Matt Logelin, left alone with his baby daughter Maddy after Matt’s wife Liz unexpectedly dies following childbirth. It is based on a true story

Men and women have different ways of communicating. Once you understand how to speak your beloved’s language, life will be a lot smoother! My wife asked me, “Does my hair look better?” The context of the conversation was that the COVID lockdowns had prevented her from going to the hairdresser to get her regular haircut. This is a grief to a woman, let alone the feeling of not looking her best. ...

With the tumult of boisterous offspring, sometimes the quiet moments of recuperation are found nearer to home. Who needs a holiday? In my life BC (Before Children), my idea of complete relaxation was luxuriating beside a pool on a tropical island, reading a book, or ordering room service and getting up only to go to the bathroom. Sigh… good times. Nowadays, the idea of going away is exhausting! Packing for four ...

Celebrating your birthday as a parent is not quite the same as in pre-parent life, but it sure is a barrel of fun with your munchkins! I had a great birthday. I didn’t have any expectations, but I did make hints about possible things I’d like to do on the day, and those hints were heard. Morning Sunshine The morning started with two eager faces, wanting to wake me up so ...

Taking the kids anywhere is always an adventure — a swim in the pool can give rise to a whole other level of memorable moments! Heading to the pool with three kids in tow is no relaxing feat. Gone are the days of taking a book to the pool and lazing back on the lounge for some uninterrupted reading time. It’s a lot different these days. In fact, at times it’s ...

Having fun with your kids sometimes means choosing to join them in their silly activities. The other day my girls emptied shredded paper all over the floor to play with it — so I joined them! On Friday afternoon, I had Phoebe asleep in the swing while Esther and Magdalene were watching a program on TV. I thought it was the perfect time to shred a big pile of paperwork that ...

Forget Finding Nemo and Three Men and a Baby. Here are fifteen family-friendly films about dads that dads will actually enjoy watching! 15. Swing Vote (2008) Kevin Costner plays the uninterested, apolitical Bud Johnson. Thanks to the wiles of his daughter, Johnson ends up becoming an election-decider after she votes on his behalf without him knowing.  14. Houseboat & Father Goose This 1958 Cary Grant and Loren classic sees Grant take ...

Whether you’re toilet-training your kids or just trying to survive an outing to the shopping mall, we all have an embarrassing toilet story to tell! We all have embarrassing stories we’d rather not re-live … right? I have one or two that made my cheeks burn red. Okay, maybe it’s more like half a dozen. A few years ago, my daughter Esther decided to add one more incident to the list. ...

The young boy said in awed tones, “Is it a bird? Is it a plane?… No, it’s my father”. There are numerous types of fathers and dad jokes to suit them. Check out some of my favourites! The Sporty Dad: Seems to be always in gym clothes. Has a bright cheery attitude every day. A can-do attitude. Why did the scarecrow win an award? A. Because he was outstanding in his ...

Happy Father’s Day. Many are getting breakfast in bed, Father’s Day cards and lots of smoochie kisses from their children (as Bandit, the dad in Bluey, would say). Not only that, most dads will receive their yearly supply of socks and undies all on the one day. Even more exciting is that the new Dads4Kids TV community service ad is being played on TV all over Australia. Watch it below if ...

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 ...

I look forward to family get-togethers at Christmas, because there is always lots of laughter. Our family’s principal humourist has recently had his first child. As we were enjoying our Christmas family dinner, we were all talking in earnest about his baby son’s resemblance to both his parents. Of course, the discussion revolved around whether he was more like dad or more like mum. Perhaps the 3-month-old baby could understand our ...

If you are a Dad, it is hard not to feel a bit overwhelmed at the present moment. The coronavirus news seems to beat down at us from every quarter. Our children and our wives are looking to us for leadership in the midst of our current situation. What is our response to them? Firstly, we need to keep the saw sharp. Who is the saw in this analogy? You are the ...

Modern gender experts try to tell us that men and women are the same. They tell us that being a man, or a woman, is actually just a social construct. They also tell us that men and women can change their gender at any time. Facebook, in their infinite wisdom, offer 71 gender options. All of this is utter nonsense and would be farcical, except that people actually believe this sort ...

My wife got me a book for Father’s Day called “Dear Dad”. It is a collection of letters to fathers, edited by Samuel Johnson OAM. The description on the back cover says, “A heartfelt, honest and very human book of letters that will make you smile and make you cry. It is the perfect gift for the Dad in your life. A reminder to say how you feel before it’s too ...

Being a father carries with it some pretty serious responsibilities. That is why it is so important to learn to laugh, and that’s why we at Dads4Kids publish weekly doses of humour for busy dads. In 1979 Norman Cousins wrote, ‘Anatomy of an Illness (As Perceived by the Patient)’. Cousins had Ankylosing Spondylitis, a rheumatoid-like disorder. Considering the hospital noisy and impersonal, Cousins checked into a hotel room where he read ...

I must be one of the stupidest people I know. Some time ago I was invited to speak at the opening of a local charity called ‘Assist’ run by Brian Pember, a friend of mine. I wrote the address down in my diary when Brian invited me to speak. I took my diary with me in the car but, guess what, I didn’t look at my diary and ended up going ...