Managing Social Media – Parents’ Number One Challenge
Sexting, pornography, paedophiles and bullying. Too often I find these issues impact teenagers way before parents are even aware of them. That’s why I like to see parents educated and proactive when it comes to keeping their kids safe online. My first key point is this – When it comes ...
International Men’s Day – Helping Men and Boys
Launched in 1999, and now celebrated in more than 90 countries worldwide, International Men’s Day is going from strength to strength. International Men’s Day celebrates positive male role models and the loving strength that men bring to their families and communities. We highlight the need to address the male suicide ...
3 Dads Walking to Raise Teen Suicide Awareness
Three grieving dads in the United Kingdom are walking around the country attempting to raise awareness about teen suicide. Mike, Andy, and Tim lost their daughters, Beth, Sophie, and Emily, to the UK suicide epidemic. They chose fundraiser walking as a way of challenging the culture and honouring their daughters’ ...
The Parenting Pace
There are hills surrounding Hobart that shouldn’t be attempted without crampons and ropes. Building on the side of such precipices affords extensive vistas over the city and beyond to a succession of mountains or ocean horizon. The gentler slopes also made for a great proving ground for my daughters as ...
Your Children Need Adventure
Adventure is essential for developing maturity and independence through firsthand experiences. When undertaken as a family, adventure forms lasting marvellous memories and excellent life skills. Some time ago, I rang a friend who was going around Australia on a 41/2-month adventure with his family. They were just about to cross ...
Single Dad Runs 500km with Kids in a Wheelbarrow for RFDS Fundraiser
Australian dad James Brougham is setting the dad-life bar high, running 500km while pushing his kids in a wheelbarrow to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS). So far, the single father and his young sidekicks, both under the age of six, have made it 387km, raising AUD ...
Blood is Thicker Than Water
The family law system is unfairly stacked against separated fathers who simply want joint custody of their children. "Custody -- Blood is Thicker Than Water" is an inspiring true story of a loving father who fought the system so that he could be a dad to his son. As Dads, ...
Why Shared Activities Are Essential to the Dad-Daughter Bond
A majority of dads bond with their daughters through shared activities. Dad and daughter bonds are linked to what a 2013 Baylor University study called ‘closeness in the doing.’ “This is,” Baylor affirmed, “the masculine style of building closeness.” Mums tend to bond through the “feminine orientation of talking” -- ...
What Guide Dog Training Taught Me About Raising Kids – Part 5
In this edition of ‘What Guide Dog Puppy Raising Taught Me About Raising Kids’, connection was a key thing our fourth pup thrived on. This wonderful pup’s name was Keith, and he was a compassionate black Labrador who loved to spend time with us. Keith was full of personality and ...
Dad – Hero-to-Villain & the Challenge of Communication
It is 6 degrees in Hobart, Tasmania and about 8 degrees off being properly cold. There is no snow. The wind is on leave. It is dark though. The rich indigo of the night and the stillness makes it a near-perfect evening to gaze on Articulated Intersect, the incredible light ...
A Magical Movie Honouring Fatherhood
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010) is the third movie in the Disney Fairies series. It follows the adventures of Tinker Bell (of Peter Pan fame) and her fairy friends on their summer sojourn in the human world. As the fairies do not reproduce but are born of ...
Changing Families – The Place of Agreement is the Place of Power
As a parent, you have to be able to lead family discussions with a listening ear, respecting each family member's point of view. From the diversity of opinions, in love you can forge a united course of action. Sincere agreement is vital for harmony and effectiveness. Many years ago, Dads4Kids ...
Go Slow Into Those Teen Years
The stall at the Salamanca Market with a large sprig pulled from a peppercorn tree caught my attention. The farm my dad grew up on had an enormous peppercorn tree and many of my memories that bring on a smile feature that tree as a backdrop… the rusted chains draped ...
Dad Deploys Child Labour Photo to Inspire Children to Do the Household Chores
James Richards, a dad in the United Kingdom, has taken a different approach to discipline, and he’s winning props for the idea. The Kent father-of-three came up with a creative way to reach his chore-averse kids by using an example from history to teach them gratitude, as well as the ...
How Was Your Day?
I know that I gravitate to the happy, good things that each day of adventure delivers. Still, there are those occasional times when I struggle as great joy butts squarely up against sadness. I can have tears leak out while wearing a delighted smile. The simultaneous happy-sad thing doesn’t happen ...
Dads Are Caregivers Too
If mothers and children are to be properly supported, educators and employers must recognise the vital role of fathers as caregivers too. “Schools and companies need to understand that dads can be parents too." An article recently published by Employee Benefit News rightly argued that ‘companies need to support working ...
10 Secrets of Long-Living People
Laughter, Sex, Vegetables and Fish -- 10 Secrets of Long-Living People is definitely a book title that is going to grab your attention. Many years ago, I was standing in a bookshop in Tasmania, trying to find my credit card so that I could invest in a book on how ...
Seven Signs of Fatherhood Fatigue
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, ...
Single Dads Need Parenting Partners
A cherished friend of mine has just died. I cried with my daughters, struggling to get the words out as I related how dear Joe has been. I love Joe for the soft kindness he delivered. He gave me a sense of being a full dad every time I saw ...
Homemade Honesty
I recently let myself be cajoled into letting my children make up ground on their lack of Saturday morning TV. While I am not allergic to television, I do have some sensitivity to the ‘entertainment’ that plays for laughs from overworked stereotypes. Telly dad is too often the bumbling weekend ...
How Dads Can Solve Problems for Their Family
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 Adam Project: Time Travelling to Dad
From Frankenstein to Star Wars, science fiction is always so much more poignant and relatable when the story tackles issues surrounding family, identity and morality. Netflix’s recent release, The Adam Project (2022), blends these elements with swashbuckling fight scenes and the wondrous concept of time travel to produce a (mostly) ...
‘My Dad is My Rock’: The Inspirational Father Behind Bree Walker
Australian Olympian Bree Walker finds strength from her father, who ever encourages her to greater heights. He has been dedicated to supporting her in her sporting endeavours since childhood, sacrificing that she may succeed in her passions. Once a father, always a father. You will find that as your children ...
Never Apologise for Being a Dad
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, ...
Mountain Adventure with Dad
Taking the time to bring our children on a challenging adventure in the midst of majestic nature can build their self-confidence while strengthening family bonds. Adventure is key to personal and community growth. Mt Wellington is my playground. The mix of seasons might be regarded as its personality. Sometimes it ...
Men’s Summit a Magnificent Milestone
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” is a saying by the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle in 330BC. The fact that he came up with it must mean he attended a Men’s Leadership Summit. I am still buzzing two weeks later and still trying to figure out ...
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The Daily Dad is a forum for Dads to be able to express themselves and encourage other dads. Mothers write articles as well. The opinions of the various writers are not necessarily the opinion of Dads4Kids. Read More