Ten Reasons Why We Fail
Here are ten reflections on falling short of a desired outcome. More precisely, why we fail despite ourselves or our best intentions.
Putting Children First
Them Before Us is the name of a breakthrough book about the need for a global children’s rights movement written by Katy Faust and Stacy Manning. The team at Dads4Kids had the joy of helping organise Australia’s first Voice 4 Kids Summit in 2015. Katy Faust was the keynote speaker. This ...
A Dad’s Open Letter to His Son About Pornography
Having “the talk” with kids is a jarring part of parent life. Even with homeschooling making this job a little easier, I’m still asking myself the same awkward question everyone else is: “How in the hell do I talk to my kids about sex, without the cringe, or me tripping ...
Copycat Kids
A few years back I let go of a muffled swear word after pacing mile after frustrating mile of city blocks with my daughters looking for smart black flats that bucked the trend of imitation tramp. Ever alert to any parental blemish that might be used as evidence against me, ...
Parenting Tips – Golden Oldies That Actually Work
It’s too easy to get lost in a whirlwind of teenage emotion and lose your focus as a parent. A lack of confidence and clarity will undermine anyone’s efforts. These six “go-to” strategies are my favourite (most recited) tips for parents. They aren’t new strategies. They are the golden oldies ...
The Small Things Matter
I’ve never met Nigel Marsh (no relation) but he seems like a top bloke. He’s a committed husband and father of four, has worked in advertising agencies for over 30 years, is a published author and award-winning podcaster, and back in 2011 he delivered a brilliant TED speech that can ...
Dad Versus Conflict
Learning from conflict will make any dad a better one. “A joyful heart is good medicine”, wrote Solomon, “but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov 17:22). In his context, Solomon understood ‘joyful’ to mean delight, celebration, a form of cheerfulness, the shining of something bright. There’s a reason ...
Time and Space
Bill runs his own business devoted to strengthening the relationship between children and parents. He artfully taps into the desire children and parents have for wholehearted connectedness. Bill simply prompts parents to maintain time and space in the relationship schedule for it to thrive. Bill shares with his parent and ...
How to Respond to New Dad Disorientation
New dad disorientation tends to affect most men faced with the daunting task of finding their fatherhood feet. Thrust into the dad-life, first-time fathers, like their newborns, have a period of adjusting to new routines, and a new identity. The technical term is ‘post-partum disorientation’. Although similar, PPD is not ...
Parenting Balancing Act
I am amused by the serious instruction of friends, “Do what you love and what feels right for you.” Their career counselling advice amuses me because they haven’t regarded that what I love and what feels right can sometimes yell wildly at each other in conflict. In the red corner, ...
The Time Factor – What it Means to Your Kids
The more I pull back from my kids time-wise, the more they pull back from me, physically, mentally and emotionally. I am a firm believer that if you care about someone then you would not let anything stand in the way of spending time with them. – unknown I remember ...
Celebrate International Children’s Book Day with 100 Years of Kid Literature
International Children’s Book Day, April 2, honours the 1805 birthday of Danish author Hans Christian Anderson. It is a day to call attention to children's literature and to inspire a love of reading in your family of destiny. Here is a list of the best children's books of the 20th ...
Bruce Robinson: Three Keys to Being a Great Dad
“I wish I had been a better Dad and spent more time with my kids.” These were the words that many men spoke, often with tears, when Dr Bruce Robinson told them they didn’t have long to live. Dr Bruce Robinson is a respiratory specialist. When people have a lung ...
A Dad Who Teaches Kids to Survive School Shootings
Protecting children is a parent’s prerogative. While the cold reality is parents cannot protect kids from getting hurt by the world. Parents can, and should, prepare their kids for the world. Even though I’ve learned a lot from the school of hard knocks, I would have learned more had my ...
Easter Musing
This year I am grateful that the Easter Bunny won’t be stopping by. The shambolic mess that the break‑and‑enter bunny left last year has left me thankful for a reprieve. There are many things that I celebrate at Easter… family traditions, the ceremony and stories of Easter accounts and the ...
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 ...
Dads Asking Questions
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. ...
Kirk Cameron on Fatherhood, Adoption & Leading by Example
For Hollywood dad, Kirk Cameron, modelling manhood is dad-life proper. Get past the Americana exterior, and the former atheist’s down-to-earth grasp of back-to-basics parenting has gravitas. Known for his role as Mike Seaver in the seven-season sitcom, Growing Pains, Cameron is also a father of six. Four of whom he ...
The Emotions of Parenting
I am Joy. I am the happy-go-lucky character that sets out to stir my children into happiness when Sadness mopes forlornly into their day. I parent to have my daughters be afflicted with my happy contagion. That was before the Joy character of the Inside Out movie set me to ...
Who Matters Most?
My kids and I were watching a Disney movie recently. In the movie, a dad, who was coaching his child’s sport team, yelled at his son. After the coaching session, the boy asked his Dad, “Why did you yell at me but you didn’t yell at all the other kids?” ...
Snake Stories for Young and Old
Recently I caught a Diamond Python on my daily prayer walk in the rainforest at Mt Kembla, near where I live in Wollongong, Australia. Someone asked me, “Why did you catch it?” That is a good question. If the truth is to be known, I cannot help myself. I love ...
Dad Puts Himself Between Danger and His Daughter
A South Australian dad has put himself between danger and his daughter, after the curious toddler encountered a deadly Eastern Brown Snake. Noticing she’d become distracted by something in the hallway, Jake Coombe used his body to shield her. The father who lives with his family on an acreage told ...
How Present Am I?
Sometimes on the other side of a wonderful parenting weekend, there is a sense that single parenting is a clock-on-clock-off thing. A full parenting weekend involves the tumble and fun and out of sorts and homework and silliness and around-the-house helping out. Then, it goes quiet when I mentally punch ...
Men and Miscarriage – The Process of Grief and Healing
“Something's wrong,” my wife said. “What’s the matter?” I asked nonchalantly. “I think I am having a miscarriage,” my wife replied, with a touch of panic in her voice. Trying to sound like I was in control, I said, “We had better get you to the hospital.” Together we whisked ...
15 of the Best Daggy Dad Films Ever Made
Daggy-dad films are somewhat of a rare breed. This is despite the sub-genre’s classics being among some of the most rewatchable films ever made. A popular pejorative, the word ‘dag’ is uniquely Australian, meaning untidy, dishevelled, and eccentric. Expanding on this, Urban Dictionary describes a ‘dag’ as someone who has ...
Who Matters Most?
My kids and I were watching a Disney movie recently. In the movie, a dad who was coaching his child’s sports team yelled at his son. After the coaching session, the boy asked his Dad, “Why did you yell at me, but you didn’t yell at all the other kids?” ...
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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
