My Stepdad: He Chose Me
Stepfathers can play an important role in the lives of their stepchildren. We hope this post encourages all dads to be the very best they can be for their kids.
Practical Hope for Stepfathers: 6 Tips for Strong Blended Families
Stepfathers play a vital role in modern blended families, offering stability, guidance, and support. With patience, empathy, and thoughtful strategies, they can build trust, strengthen relationships, and foster lasting family harmony.
Catch Them Being Good
Encouraging your kids about good behaviour is one of the most effective ways to train, or disciple, your children.
That’s All I Want to Say
Dads, you are important in the lives of your children. Whether you have contact with them or not, you are important. Make your presence count. See what your children are up to, listen to what they are going through, and speak words of encouragement to them.
Children Need Father Figures – Stepfathers Have to Step Up
We have all no doubt heard the statistics regarding separation and divorce in this country -- something like 30% of marriages end in divorce, and a huge number of Australian children are forced to cope with life after marital breakdown. The typical divorce scenario in Australia today is that mum gets custody of the children and dad (hopefully) gets access and an obligation to pay Child Support. Children from broken marriages ...
Involved Fathers Are Indispensable
The role that involved fathers play is vital. The opposite is also true: uninvolved fathers can cause significant wounds. But even these wounds can be redeemed to help others. “An engaged and loving father is the most powerful man-making force on the planet,” writes Earl Hipp in his perceptive article titled Healing the Absent Father Wound. He goes on: The opposite is also true. When fathers are absent, physically or emotionally, the ...
‘Dads on Duty’ Deploys Dads in Schools to End Gang Violence
American fathers have launched a new initiative in schools that provides a powerful reminder of the important role dads play in the lives of their children – and the community. To tackle rising school violence, up to 40 dads from Southwood High School in Louisiana have banded together under the banner Dads on Duty USA. Their battle plan is simple: be present on school grounds. According to CBS, "the students say ...
The Effective Stepfather: A Checklist to Live By
Anyone who has been a father and then a stepfather knows that they aren’t the same. While many aspects of these two roles are similar, it is the unique ones that lead to disillusionment. Franklin put it this way: “I’ve been to every Promise Keepers conference and I’ve studied fathering with my men’s group many times. But nothing has prepared me for being a stepfather. With my own kids I have a ...
The High Cost of Putting a Razor to Masculinity
Gillette has jumped on the #metoo bandwagon, and in the process has derogated masculinity. I have a lot of sympathy for the #metoo movement, because one in four women and one in six men have been sexually assaulted. From my counselling experience, those figures are understated. It happens a lot more than people realise. It almost happened to me. I was a young naive man in my late teens with a ...
Five Myths of Fatherhood
We are constantly bombarded about fatherhood and family myths by a media who live by the maxim, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story”. The end result? - the exotic and the statically minor always grab the headlines. The stories of the ordinary fathers who are providing, nurturing and caring for their children and their families are forgotten. What is even worse, fathers are maligned for ...
