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. ...

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.   ...

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 ...

Before we become fathers, we are free to live like children ourselves.  We work towards our own ends, we engage in relationships to satiate our own needs and desires, we enjoy leisure-some pursuits based entirely on what we enjoy. Fatherhood, by necessity, changes our focus and our lifestyle.  For myself, fatherhood was the precipitating factor in my finally and irrevocably, growing up.  I believe that most new fathers (and their partners!) ...

Language is a wonderful thing. Through the power of language, one person can translate the most complex and nebulous of ideas into terms that another can understand. Thus, not only the understanding but also the realisation of a new or different concept can be transposed from one mind to another. It’s really a miraculous process. Powerful and adaptable tool that it is, language is not the basis of communication, just a ...

An inventive dad from the UK is using an FV106 Samson tank as the family car. Father-of-three Gary Freeland purchased the armoured recovery and reconnaissance vehicle for £20,000. Ever since, the light track FV106 has been the family’s favourite errand runabout. He told The Sun, “The tank is the best way to get the kids to go somewhere. They can’t wait to help me with the shopping when they know I ...

Editor’s Note: This story is so lovely, we can’t help but run it again. Feel free to send in your own stories of those early days! ~~~ It’s hard to believe so much time has passed. My son, Seth, is now ten weeks old, and so intelligent he’s bound to make a future Prime Minister. (Not that I’m biased!) Recently, I reflected on my experiences during Seth’s birth. A heap has ...

It was 12:00am on Sunday, the 1st of September — Father’s Day, to be precise. There I was, frantically gathering clothes and bits ‘n’ pieces according to my wife’s somewhat disjointed instruction.  She was roaming about the house with a hot wheat sack across her rather overgrown abdomen. I couldn’t believe it. Had the moment finally arrived? After nine — closer to ten long months, was I finally going to be ...

Why does it seem so hard sometimes to have peace in the house? I have struggled many times over this. We pray every day, try to organise the day and set the course — that is, we the parents. As a father, the head of the household, I should be steering the ship on the course I think we are going — why do we hit so many rocks? We used ...

Keeping the flame of love alive in your marriage through the years, is the best gift you can give your children — a daily example of how to cherish their mother, no matter what life brings. “It will never happen to me”; “No way — too much fun to have”; “Hey boys, did you hear about Johnno getting hitched? (cue gasps of shock and unbelief)… he’s mad.” Who can remember as ...

Who remembers the days of youthful enthusiasm, going to the gym with your mates, endless levels of energy bursting at the seams? Perhaps for the fortunate ones, those days still abound. I recall as a young teenager heading off to the gym, board shorts and singlet — the singlet was a pre-requisite: showed off the muscle definition (or lack thereof in my case) — and water bottle in hand, ready for ...

Remember when that song first came out, Butterfly Kisses — the one about the father watching his daughter growing up? How soon the days, the months, and the years go by. My daughter is approaching 10 years old (going on 19). It seems just like yesterday I was kissing my daughter goodbye on her first day of kindergarten. My baby girl is growing up, and I don’t like it! Independence One ...

We may become overwhelmed by our family responsibilities and job expectations. Recall the adage that less is more, and prioritise your main role, in which you cannot be replaced. “You can’t have it all,” used to be a saying to describe women juggling careers and motherhood. Mothers are caught in the conundrum of trying to be present for their children while having a successful career, all at the same time. It ...

It takes discipline to resist the lure of constant distractions, but it is possible to build good habits in both pups and children which help them stay on track. In this edition of what Guide Puppy Raising taught me about raising kids, our third pup definitely excelled — in the wrong way. This wonderful pup’s name was Scooter and he was a fun-loving black Labrador. Scooter was a bundle of energy ...

Top Gun: Maverick is smashing box offices, and it’s easy to understand why. The film is spectacularly outpacing its weak-because-they’re-woke counterparts, because the film’s unapologetic dad themes resonate. Alongside the gutsy F-18 camera shots, audiences are in love with the Tom Cruise/Joseph Kosinski sequel because its father-son backstory hits home. Even the, “it’s all flag-waving, MAGA propagandist tripe” critics are applauding the sequel for keeping to the consistency of the first film’s ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Actor James Hong’s grit and determination to triumph against all odds is a great example for parents, who have multiple challenges to face. With a supportive community of people in the same boat, we can coast to victory in our parenting journey as well. Parenting inspiration can come from unlikely sources. It doesn’t take much to transfer skills from the testimony of just about anyone who’s faced what they see as, ...

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 ...