Easter arrives each spring with something most dads don't fully realise: a ready-made opportunity to lead their families toward what matters most.
Ken Canfield
Father’s Day is for all the dads you know, so let’s consider broadening the boundaries of Father’s Day to include a few more men who could use an encouraging word. Here are a few men to keep in mind on Father’s Day and questions to help inspire a meaningful message.
Guest Writer
Fond memories of childhood and beyond, encapsulated in a little red wagon.
Don Mathis
Being a single dad isn’t all work. In fact, sometimes it’s great fun. So, with Father’s Day coming up, here are five ideas to keep in mind that will be good for you and your kids. Some of these ideas pertain to this Father’s Day, and others will have an impact for years to come.
National Center for Fathering
In my role, I am blessed to be able to work from home, making it possible to be present for my toddlers all day, every day. However, this arrangement comes with its own challenges. Here are some strategies that enable me to multitask well.
Jean Seah
Dads4Kids wants to make a big deal out of dads on Father’s Day this coming Sunday, 1st September 2024. Watch our brand-new latest Father’s Day Community Service TV ad below. It is essentially ordinary people from 18 to 78 years of age, talking about their Dads.
Warwick Marsh
Three years and three months after we began trying, Angie is finally pregnant! In the end, Angie and I cannot take credit for this miracle of pregnancy. There are no silver bullets, but there were three things that seem to have made a big difference in our case.
Kurt Mahlburg
What we call each other and how we address each other impacts the sense of trust and safety in our relationship. Let’s make the names we use for each other a blessing.
Byron and Francine Pirola
Spending Father’s Day without the kids can be tough. Read on for alternative ways to spend Father’s Day and still make the day special.
Guest Writer
Once a year, usually in July, buildings of historical or cultural significance around Brisbane open their doors to the public for free, with guided tours and exhibits. This event is known as Brisbane Open House. We took the opportunity to learn more about firefighters and the police.
Jean Seah
This concept of men being sharpened like iron, or improving themselves, is a key component of Dads4Kids' mission to "transform the nation by inspiring fathers to help their children be the best they can be."
Nathaniel Marsh
With so many rapid geographical and cultural changes, the learning curve has been steep, both for us as parents and for our 13-month-old daughter. Here are three tips from our travels so far for navigating cross-cultural travel with your baby.
Kurt Mahlburg
I attended the Dads4Kids Men’s Leadership Summit last weekend (9-11 August 2024) and had the privilege of giving the Father’s Blessing to all who were there. As requested, here is a copy of the blessing.
Kym Farnik
Some time ago, we were chatting with a man in his late twenties. He had been living with his girlfriend for some years, and she was restless: she wanted a commitment to marriage and family. After seven years together, he was still uncertain.
Byron and Francine Pirola
Whatever you do, know that you’re not alone. Know that being a proactive single dad is a blast. Be a man, be a father, get muddy and let the washing pile up.
National Center for Fathering
Every July, the Abbey Museum in Caboolture, Queensland hosts the Abbey Medieval Festival, an extremely popular event that attracts thousands of visitors. As their website states, they aim for guests “to experience life in the Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East, from AD 600 to 1600.”
Jean Seah
“Family is not an important thing; it is everything,” are the wise words of Michael J. Fox. You must put family first and be there for them. It will pay off in the end.
Warwick Marsh
This weekend, Squish met her Australian cousins for the first time, and the experience was as fun as we had anticipated, for babies and parents alike. To set the scene, let me tell you a bit about my family.
Kurt Mahlburg
Towards the end of July, we celebrate World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. This year (2024), the theme is loneliness and references Psalm 71:9 — “Do not cast me off in my old age”.
Byron and Francine Pirola
Witnessing my father’s interaction with my own kids prompted me to reflect on my relationship with him. It is possible that my book, "Single Dad", is a way of exploring what I missed out on.
Guest Writer
My toddler son loves playing with his toy vehicles, particularly fire engines, garbage trucks, police cars, ambulances and trains. So when not one, but two fire trucks rolled up to our friend’s nursing home as we were celebrating Christmas, my husband realised it was a fabulous opportunity.
Jean Seah
News
Dads 4 Kids News is for writers to share interesting insights, news, and stories, to encourage dads and their families.
Most Read
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
Dad, Don’t Let Easter Just Happen to Your Family
Easter arrives each spring with something most dads don't fully realise: a ready-made opportunity to lead their families toward what matters most.
Your Baby’s Cuteness is a Scientific Fact
Lorenz suggested that a baby’s cute features trigger a nurturing response in adults, encouraging them to care for and protect them. Research has confirmed Lorenz’s theory many times over in the decades since.
The Politically Incorrect Reality About What Boosts Kids’ Chances for Success
A new book, “The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind”, shows just how starkly a child’s success in life can be affected based on whether he grows up with married parents or a single parent.
Leading at Home: What Being a Single Dad Taught Me About Leadership
I believe if you have children, there’s not a more important leadership role for a man than being a father. Applying my leadership skills to being the best dad I could be to Ben and Emily helped me in return.
Locked Up Without a Trial
The price we pay for knee-jerk responses to a very complex issue is that thousands of, both legally and factually innocent, men are locked up in jails across the country.
Love and Let Go
Do you already have the “perfect” plan designed for your children’s lives? As mothers, I believe this is a particularly difficult area to manoeuvre. Wanting the very best for our children, we can get our hearts set on the best preschool to the best college.
The Love Bank
The concept of a Love Bank was first developed by best-selling author Dr Willard Harley in 1986. Put simply, it is how we keep track of the way each person treats us. When it comes to being excellent fathers for our children, The Love Bank is a very useful concept.
How Our Baby’s Surgery Tested and Strengthened Our Family
Last week was our toughest yet as parents. It all began when Squish endured a few days of unexplained fevers and interrupted sleep. We eventually found a rock-hard lump on her leg that was clearly the source of her pain. Our baby needed surgery to drain the infection.
‘To Have and to Hold’: Marrying Young and Making It Last
It’s commonly accepted today that first marriages have a greater success rate when delayed. If we dig a bit deeper, however, we find this conventional wisdom regarding delayed marrying has its flaws. Certain factors are at play in the success of all marriages.
Parenting Tips for Separated Dads
All dads want to be the best father they can. But it can be tough to know how to do this after separation. Here, Mensline Australia offers some parenting tips on how to be positive around your kids while dealing with your own stuff, like anger, sadness and loneliness.
Six Habits of Healthy and Happy People
Whether you’ve got five minutes to spare or want to build lasting habits – today we’re opening the textbook on six scientifically-backed ways to boost your happiness levels!
Stick Together
Australian singer-songwriter Colin Buchanan is a national living treasure. My family and I are BIG Colin Buchanan fans! So when I logged into Spotify the other week and saw Colin had released a new song, "Stick Together", I immediately had a listen.
How to Create Sibling (and Family) Relationships That Last
Ultimately, parents must remember that they likely won’t be around for their children’s entire lives, but children’s siblings probably will be. If parents can teach their children how to build a solid family network together, they will offer a legacy not only to their children, but one that can be passed through the generations.
Masculine Men Are Women’s Unsung Heroes
Masculine men are the very thing we need — now more than ever in the battle of traditionalism versus progressivism. Though the media has attacked the vital value of gender itself, we know they’re wrong. We know male and female is how we’re made.
How We Learned to Co-Parent Peacefully After the Separation
Finding the secret to respectful, civil and constructive co-parenting is important for your kids. As part of a united parental front, my kids’ mum and I made it work without too many issues.
The New Normal of Parenting
In the midst of a conversation about toilet training with another parent, a childless friend walked over, and we realised, this isn’t something you talk about with people without kids. With surprising ease, I came up with a list of things that have become my ‘new normal’ since becoming a parent…
Blind Man Saves Blind Triplet from Suicide
Caitlin Keating, a journalist with People magazine, has done a beautiful job telling this powerful story. The full title of this exclusive article is even harder to believe: “Blind Triplet Contemplated Suicide Before Blind Man Adopted Them. Now Boys Are Pursuing Their Dreams.”
My First 9 Months as an Adoptive Dad
The title above could just as easily read “My First 9 Months as a Dad”. I don’t think of myself specifically as an adoptive dad — I am a dad — to a beautiful, curious, vibrant little nine-month-old baby.
Two Sides to Relationship Repair
Couples who go the distance in marriage are those who have learnt to repair early and often. They still have disagreements, tiffs, and other challenges to their connection, but they catch it before it escalates.
Restoring the Presumption of Innocence Conference
Equality before the law no longer exists in Australia. The presumption of innocence has been tossed aside – totally discarded by our biased media and undermined by regular legislative tampering with basic principles of justice.
The Great List of Things I Can’t Do Because I Only Have Sons
I live with my husband, two sons and a male dog. I couldn’t be happier. Our decision not to have any more children is a considered one, and hubby and I are completely in love with our two boys. Nonetheless, it begs the question: what am I missing out on?
Our Family Happy Place
If you can, work towards creating a happy place for your family. Discuss ideas, then start planning and working towards it. Your family happy place could be a screen-free family meal together, a fun bicycle or scooter adventure, or a fancy picnic at your local park.
Making the Most of Work-Life Balance Each Day
My new after-work ritual marks a big shift for me. No longer do I get to veg straight away, as in my bachelor days. This is a sacrifice, but it is one that I am willing to make.
For Marriage and Country
Marriages are always stronger when a couple are looking forward to building a better future together by learning from their mistakes, rather than backward-looking and focused on the past failings of the other.
I Love My Daddy Because… A Look at Fathers in the Wild
Fortunate is the father and child who discovers "I Love My Daddy Because…" (by Laurel Porter Gaylord). At last, here is a book that shows the variety of attributes men — and animals — share with their young.
Hands-Free Holiday
The hotel was already booked and paid for. No refunds. And. No. Internet. This holiday was going to be like a digital detox of the most excruciating kind.
