A New Dad’s Guide to Supporting Mum
Are you a new dad? Congratulations! And here’s something important to remember: In many ways, you’re also suddenly a new husband — or parenting partner.
The Gift of Pain – Beyond Channel 9’s 60 Minutes Story
Imagine a life without pain. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? I just finished watching a story on 60 Minutes called ‘Pain-Free’. Far from being a utopic experience, it played out more like a horror story. Witnessing the journey of two little girls through a life without pain ...
Mother’s Day Memories
Mother’s Day is next Sunday. As well as appreciating the mother of your own children, think of how you can love on your own mum. Gifts are an option, but sharing a loving memory you have of her would make her day.
Make Mother’s Day a Military Operation
Making the most of Mother’s Day is as simple as bringing your A-game, and plenty of back-up. Carrying out a successful Mother’s Day Op. is about coordination, planning, and having the right headspace. Although a cache of cliché gifts suits the nature of the op, they don’t guarantee operational success. ...
Choosing to Love
If there is one thing that makes motherhood so worth celebrating, it’s a mother’s capacity for love for her children. Whether it’s her willingness to give over her body to nourish a newborn, her patience with the endless ‘but why’ questions of a toddler, or the testing rebellion of a ...
Happy Mother’s Day
I send out a warm Mother’s Day wish for my mum to be blessed with genuine pride in having raised three awesome men. I admire the example of care she set in her nursing work, especially with the elderly. I saw Mum argue the case for patients to be treated ...
I’ve Made More Mistakes Than You
As a parent, I make a lot of mistakes. But my kids are gracious to forgive if I’m humble enough to admit my mistakes. Canadian-born Hollywood actress Mary Pickford said: You may make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you start blaming someone else. My Sad Brag – ...
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 ...
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 ...
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?” ...
Can I Ask You a Question?
No wonder I’m so tired! A UK study found that the average child asks around 300 questions a day. How on earth did our parents ever get by before Google? What made me smile was that the research revealed kids were more likely to ask their mother questions because their ...
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?” ...
The Gift of an Ordinary Day
Silly giggles, 3 am feeds, bedtime cuddles, wiped tears and heart-to-hearts. These are the moments you’ll treasure when your little one is all grown up. I reckon that if anyone ever does invent a time machine, it’ll be a mum. After all, wouldn’t you give everything you own to have ...
Are You a Helicopter Parent?
Helicopter parents are well-meaning parents who hover over their kids. If something happens, heaven forbid, such as falling over, fighting over a toy, or getting a bad grade, helicopter parents swoop in and do everything they can to make things better. Sometimes being a helicopter parent is a good thing ...
A Letter To My Younger Self
Now I’m a Nonna and have raised my own children, I can relax and watch as my son parents his little girl. I think back to myself as a young mum and I wonder what words of wisdom I could share with her. The things I know now -- hmmm… ...
At the Car Wash
On Saturday I dropped my daughter off to do a school assignment with her friends. On the way home there was a FREE car wash. That’s always music to my ears. So why on earth would people give up a beautiful Saturday morning to wash cars for other people… FOR ...
How Reading to Your Child Affects Brain Development
One of my happiest childhood memories is snuggling in bed with mum or dad each night as they read to me. It was these moments that instilled in me a lifelong love of reading. It’s still one of my absolute favourite things to do, even though it’s a rare treat ...
Stop Making Your Child Happy
OK, confession time… I’m not sure where, or how it started, but surprisingly, it was at a very young age. I’ve always loved kids. I’ve looked after kids and worked with kids, in both professional and voluntary capacities since I was about eleven. Spoilt Those who thought the whole world ...
Take Your Time: Easiest Parenting Advice Ever
Want to know the easiest way to give your kids a confidence boost? It’s the most sure-fire simple way to increase your child’s positivity and resilience. Here it is… Enjoy them. Spend time with them. Let go of your agenda and be with them and listen to them. That’s it. ...
Ideal Summer Thirst Quencher
There’s nothing like biting into a wedge of crispy cold watermelon on a hot summer’s day. For me, it brings back vivid childhood memories of being with my family during scorching heat waves in Australia. My dad would always make sure to pick the ripest watermelon by tapping it. If ...
Ties That Bind – Long-Distance Grandparents
I’m a first-time Nonna -- however, my relationship with my new granddaughter is a long-distance one (my son and daughter-in-law live in California). But last week, they came home on vacation! I got to hold her tight against my chest and hear her breathe, I got to feel her soft ...
Good Words
It happened in the shoe section at Big W. Casually browsing through the sandals, Tyson kneeling at my feet. He dropped a heel, paused and said: ‘b@&&er.’ Mortified. Where on earth did he learn…? Oh. Confession time: Amongst my many and varied flaws is a weakness for the odd expletive. ...
Two Secrets to a Happy Home
The big question is: “How do you create a happy home?” I think a lot of people wished they had come from one. Working with young people and families with both older and younger children, I’ve noticed that a happy home can come from any race, occupation, economic status, political ...
3 Steps to Teaching Your Child Self Control
Self-control is the ability to say “no” when you want to say “yes“! In 1972, Walter Mischel conducted one of the classic psychology experiments of all time. Children were shown into a laboratory and given a plate with a marshmallow on it. They were told they could eat it now, ...
Just a Mum
‘I’m just a mum,’ she said, actually looking embarrassed. ‘What does that mean?’ I asked, confused. I’d only been married a few months and kids weren’t on the agenda for us yet. ‘I used to be a sales rep for a medical company,’ she quickly added. ‘And I plan to ...
How to Fight Fair
‘Shhhh… not in front of the kids!’ We’ve all been there: In the car with a captive audience… or at the dinner table. An argument erupts and the question is: do you save it for later? Or just let it all out in front of the kids? Studies conducted at ...
About
The Daily Dad is a blog for writers to share interesting insights, news, and stories, to encourage dads and their families. The opinions of the various writers are not necessarily the opinion of Dads4Kids. Please do your own research and come to your own conclusions. We welcome feedback and if you would like to submit an article for the Daily Dad, please contact the editor at info@dads4kids.org.au
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