When a society removes children from their parents, it must confront a question that goes beyond policy, beyond procedure, beyond bureaucratic justification: What kind of country are we becoming if we allow hope itself to be taken from those who have already lost the most?
Patrick O'Connor
Modern relationships are plagued by busyness. And when our relationship is neglected, we often end up arguing during the little time we do spend together. With Valentine’s Day approaching, it’s the perfect opportunity to give the gift of time.
Byron and Francine Pirola
Workplace sexual harassment morphs into a far larger animal requiring workplaces to promote “substantive equality between men and women” — feminist code for discrimination against men.
Bettina Arndt
Why, oh why, does parenting bring out this bizarre competitive streak in us? One mother posted an article begging her friends to please stop bragging across social media about how they’re winning at natural birth and parenting.
Annette Spurr
Paul the apostle warned people that “those who marry will face many troubles in this life”. That’s the reality of marriage. Always has been and always will be.
Warwick Marsh
It has dawned on me in recent weeks that the time to model “the good life” for Squish is not when she starts talking or begins school or reaches adolescence — but today.
Kurt Mahlburg
Inherent to the New Year resolution is the idea of becoming a better person. No sane person aspires to drink more or learn how to smoke as a New Year goal. Yet, so many of us fail to create the permanent change in ourselves that we seek. Why is that?
Byron and Francine Pirola
One day, I realised that these wonderful awakenings would not last forever. One of these wondrous leaps would be the last one, and it would never happen again.
Don Mathis
Okay, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This mother-shaming has got to stop! And what’s really made me mad this time is that it’s a mummy blogger having a condescending dig at one of her own!
Annette Spurr
I’ll be forever grateful my parents facilitated the celebration of special days like Australia Day for my siblings and me. If you can, make sure you celebrate special days with your family and friends, too.
Nathaniel Marsh
The early years are the most dynamic time of life, producing more than a million neural connections each second. For parents or caregivers, this time offers a wonderful opportunity to impact children’s lives.
Guest Writer
Why then, when we were in lockdown and spending so much more time together at home, were we not seeing improvements in our marital outcomes? We have a couple of theories...
Byron and Francine Pirola
Sanity has prevailed in the case of a gender dysphoric child currently before the Family Court, with the judge allowing evidence from an expert who believes that rates of gender dysphoria are on the rise due to social contagion.
Kurt Mahlburg
After two decades of caring for other people’s children, Emma believes she can sum up the problem with modern parents with one simple test: Pour your child’s milk into a pink sippy cup. If they declare, ‘But I wanted the blue one!’, what do you do?
Annette Spurr
A new study from Leeds University in the UK reveals that fathers engaging in interactive activities with their children, such as reading and playing, significantly improve their kids’ primary school performance.
Warwick Marsh
Children with dads who are involved in their upbringing tend to do better socially, emotionally, and academically than kids with uninvolved fathers. Research also shows kids with involved dads tend to be more confident.
Guest Writer
Bids for Connection can include doing a task the other will appreciate but not expect, a word of affirmation or appreciation. They are simple gestures that are an invitation to move forward together.
Byron and Francine Pirola
I don’t think God’s plan stipulated that children were supposed to live apart from their fathers – but this is what’s happening all over the world. So, I wrote a poem that I hope will raise awareness of this injustice, that I hope will make a change.
Don Mathis
This really highlighted for me the simplicity of quality time with our kids. Building memories and relationships with our kids can be very budget-friendly and therapeutic.
Annette Spurr
As a dad now for (almost) 16 years, I’m continuously amazed at how much curiosity and creativity my daughters possess. One of our critical roles as dads is to foster and facilitate this curiosity and creativity as much as possible.
Nathaniel Marsh
The first four weeks of being a new dad will be one of the scariest times of your life. To make this a little less scary, we’ve compiled a few tips on how to get through it.
Guest Writer
News
Dads 4 Kids News is for writers to share interesting insights, news, and stories, to encourage dads and their families.
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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
Parents Without Hope – Their Children Taken
When a society removes children from their parents, it must confront a question that goes beyond policy, beyond procedure, beyond bureaucratic justification: What kind of country are we becoming if we allow hope itself to be taken from those who have already lost the most?
The Divine Rendezvous
Recently, we came across this quote from Simone Weil, a 20th-century French philosopher, Christian mystic and political activist. “God and humanity are like two lovers who have missed their rendezvous. Each is there before the time, but each at a different place, and they wait, and wait, and wait. He ...
Dad’s Day Celebrations
The collective noun for clowns is a pratfall, and it makes no sense that you can have a rout of snails. Snails could as much create a rout as my kids would volunteer that they have homework. And, you might think that the rush of students on the three o’clock ...
Sound of Freedom
The blockbuster, record-breaking smash hit movie from the United States, Sound of Freedom, is coming soon to cinemas across Australia and New Zealand! Based on the incredible true story of Operation Underground Railroad founder and former Department of Homeland Security Special Agent, Tim Ballard, the Angel Studios-distributed film is on-track ...
Taylor Swift and the “Swiftie Dad” Phenomenon
For the uninitiated, Swiftie Dads are a phenomenon. They’re fathers whose daughters are massive Taylor Swift fans. According to GQ, these dads don’t just chaperone their kids to concerts; they’re dad-sized “groupies” who don the merchandise, sing the songs, and play along. Gone are ‘bored dads at a One Direction ...
The Newborn Challenge No One Told Me About
Last week, I told the origins story of our newly adopted baby. She’s known as ‘Squish’ here at the Daily Dad until her adoption is finalised. I plan to write a weekly column as my wife Angie and I learn the ins and outs of parenting a newborn, and as ...
Walking the Talk is More Than You Think
This morning, a friend from Canberra forwarded us a reflection on walking called: Keep Moving. It noted that walking was not only good for physical health, but that it is also good for spiritual health. It recalled the many stories of the New Testament where Jesus and/or the disciples were ...
Relationship Lengths
What is the measure of a dad’s relationship with his daughters? My left brain ponders that “I have a 9 out of 10 relationship”, but I am hardly going to say that aloud, as I would sound more analytical than heartfelt. The essence of being a dad that radiates from ...
Who I Am Instead
A Mum Daily reader and new mum wrote to me: "I have to admit, no one can tell you what its like to be a new mum until you’ve been there. I had no idea. I have a dream baby, who only fusses when there is something wrong like hunger ...
Love and Forgiveness
Dear Friends, On Friday, the team at Dads4Kids spoke at a Senate Committee Inquiry for the Labor Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 at Parliament House, Canberra. Our delegation leader was a female Family Law lawyer, Sheneli Meneripitiyage Dona, and deputy leader indigenous elder Ps James Dargin, with Nathaniel and myself ...
A Dispatch from a Newly Adoptive Dad
As of two weeks ago, I’m a dad. It feels weird writing that, like it’s not quite true yet. But it is! My wife Angie and I have a brand new little human in our lives, a beautiful daughter whom we have affectionately nicknamed ‘Squish’. (Due to confidentialities around the ...
Why Reality TV Makes Us Stupider
These days, we rightly talk a lot about exploitation and abuse. It comes in many forms, and we worry we might walk past it without noticing. Recently 665,000 Australians not only walked past, but sat and watched something that we should recognise for what it really is – workplace exploitation ...
Tuning In to My Children’s Invisible Voices
Last night, some scratchy static in my dad subconscious alerted me to go about being a dad with extra care and gentleness. Most parents know of our children’s delicate talent for beckoning us to attention with tantrums, yelled commands and rushing tears. Other times, there is no trumpet that alerts ...
Who is Leading Whom?
Recently, we met some friends at a local area at Mermaid Beach called “The Marketta”. I had never been there before; Kylie had been a few times. We won’t take that any further… Anyway, it’s a fun place in an old industrial area, that has been outfitted with slightly alternative-style ...
Sowing the Seeds of Love
Mankind is so blessed to have the gift of music. The world would be a much sadder place without music, and I believe Walter Savage Landor was spot on when he wrote, ‘Music is God's gift to man.’ Thanks to my parents (Dads4Kids founders Warwick & Alison Marsh), my siblings ...
7 Lessons for Fathers from Mary Poppins
I know. “Mary Poppins.” I haven’t blown a gasket. Just hear me out. Without drilling too much into childhood nostalgia, or the feminist overtones, the original film has a great deal of good in it for dads. With the help of actor David Tomilson (1917-2000), the P.L. Travers/Disney film was ...
Arguments: It’s All About Connection
No one likes being in an argument. Arguments stir up intense emotions and can leave us feeling misunderstood and wounded. Yet, not all arguments are equal. Arguments mean different things in different circumstances. An argument is defined as a work of persuasion. We use arguments to convince others of our ...
Flying Solo
There is little surprise in seeing mums and dads flying with their kids during school holidays to an away-from-home location. Families are drawn to rekindle their connection with interstate or overseas relatives, or seek out the novelty of far-off theme parks or the adventure of a distant national park. Among ...
Happy Couple or Happy Parents
A recent study has found that couples without kids are much happier in their marriage than those with kids. Should I be worried? Thankfully, the same study showed that mums were happiest of all, but dads were amongst the unhappiest -- perhaps because of the strain parenting has put on ...
The Horrendous Harms of Fatherlessness
“No generation knows better than ours the terrible consequences of growing up without a father. Fatherless boys are far more likely to grow up and commit violent crime, mistreat women, and act out against society in every other way. Girls who do not have a father to honour -- and, ...
The Terrible Harms of Fatherlessness
by Bill Muehlenberg Fatherlessness is a growing problem in the Western world. Whether caused by divorce and broken families, or by deliberate single parenting, more and more children grow up in Australia without fathers. Concerned groups have argued that a mother and father are crucial in the raising of children. Father absence ...
New How-To Guide for Christian Homeschooling Is a Ground-breaking Australian First
The goal of Christian homeschooling is to equip kids with a holistic thinking toolbox. This requires some form of structure and a ton of nurturing. The best educational outcomes are achieved by utilising what is known as transdisciplinary learning. This is, explains Polytechnic, ‘the integration of knowledge into some meaningful ...
30 July: International Day of Friendship
In 2011, Australia and dozens of other members of the United Nations designated July 30 as the International Day of Friendship. Their goal was to educate the public, to mobilise the political will to resolve global problems, and to celebrate the achievements of humanity. Friendship promotes peace, inspires happiness, and ...
The Science, Art and Spirit of Communication
Communication is fundamental to our relationships and the flourishing of families. If we want to do it well, there is a science, art and spirit to communication. We all like to think of ourselves as good communicators. Unfortunately, what that usually means is: I have lots to say and I’m ...
Venting… and Searching for a Gem
I am troubled by an epic first-world problem that a friend has just shared. The plane she was in had been stalled on the runway. While the plane was parked, the steamy, restricted space of a cramped cabin gradually created an uncomfortable balminess. Overhead were three air vents, no doubt ...
