The Kendrick Brothers’ 2021 documentary "Show Me The Father" is well worth watching. Directed by Rick Altizer, it beautifully weaves together a series of stories highlighting the importance of fatherhood.
Nathaniel Marsh
Secret Men’s Business will help you confront the issues of pornography and lust that are the proverbial elephants in the room for us modern men.
Nathaniel Marsh
Our adoption story is a twisting, turning tale that stretches across three countries and involved the riskiest decision my wife and I have ever made.
Kurt Mahlburg
Over the past decade, we’ve frequently had frustrated husbands or wives approach us for help. This led us to create the BreakThrough course for individual spouses in distressed marriages.
Byron and Francine Pirola
On the school day my children leave my care, I will drop an “I love you” note into their lunch box or a quirky gift from the two-dollar shop.
Greg McInerney
Our children are, in many ways, strangers in the world of adults. They don’t speak our language particularly well – and we seem to have forgotten how to speak their language as we’ve aged.
Annette Spurr
We need more Dads who will advocate for our children, promote fathers and encourage families. That’s what I call a “Dadvocate”.
Warwick Marsh
An advocate of relational masculinity, Reeves believes men are moulded by their relationship with their community.
Rod Lampard
Getting Squish to nap regularly is a conscious choice, a discipline. It has me wondering how many parents let their newborns decide their own sleeping patterns and, if so, how much misery it could cause!
Kurt Mahlburg
The new draft Family Law Amendment Bill (no. 2) 2023 has been posted on the Commonwealth Attorney-General's website for discussion.
John Flanagan
Any couple who stays together more than a decade by necessity is doing what we could call ‘conscious REcoupling’. As we well know, people change.
Byron and Francine Pirola
What the Labor Government’s Attorney-General is saying is completely different to what is actually contained in the Family Law Amendment Bill 2023.
John Flanagan
I love this article, published by Time, to help parents like me make the most of these short years we have with our kids: "How to Have a Happy Family – 7 Tips Backed by Research".
Annette Spurr
Courage. It transforms everyday people into unlikely superheroes. We have an amazing 10-week online course for dads called Courageous, starting Tuesday 3 October.
Nathaniel Marsh
Replacing lies with truth in moments that incapacitate us, is the mental martial arts basis of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Rod Lampard
Tap in, tap out. It’s as simple as it sounds — a self-explanatory parenting tip about sharing the many new responsibilities of raising a child.
Kurt Mahlburg
Sleep deprivation is marriage enemy number one in our book. When sleep-deprived, everything can appear miserable and beyond redemption.
Byron and Francine Pirola
I am grateful for being able to say my well-felt “I love you”, but what of saying the same when I am waiting for my daughters to be in my care?
Greg McInerney
I was checking emails on my phone the other day when, out of nowhere, something swooped by at lightning speed and ripped it out of my hands. They were so fast, I didn’t even see who it was.
Annette Spurr
When your children have their own children, you get a promotion and join the elite group known as grandfathers. This elevation provides you with a whole new set of responsibilities, opportunities and joys.
Warwick Marsh
Whether new to the dad guild or a veteran dad-lifer, blunt affirmations offer sharp relief. Telling ourselves objective truths keeps us fit for the fight.
Rod Lampard
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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
Show Me The Father
The Kendrick Brothers’ 2021 documentary "Show Me The Father" is well worth watching. Directed by Rick Altizer, it beautifully weaves together a series of stories highlighting the importance of fatherhood.
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 ...
Equal Pay Day: Fact or Fabrication?
‘Equal Pay Day’ is March 14 this year. But ever since its founding in 1996, this event is based on erroneous assumptions. It is meant to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. But is there really such a gap? And is it based on discrimination? The idea to ...
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 ...
On Trend with Unbusy
We recently enjoyed a week in New Zealand – about five days with some of our children and then two blessed days on our own. It was like a tonic for our soul and our marriage. Long walks with relaxed afternoons soaking up beautiful vistas and abundant wildlife. One such cheeky local ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
That Romantic Atmosphere
On Friday afternoon, we went on a bushwalk with Byron’s work colleagues. Although we were with other people, we so enjoyed the time together. Walking is remarkably therapeutic for us… perhaps it’s the natural environment, or maybe it’s simply the absence of the constant phone, email and text distraction. Whatever ...
Colour Me Happy
Sometimes my weekends are a maddening tussle to make the one-after-the-other events that seem to start flooding our Friday and spill into our Saturday and Sunday. Sport, birthday parties, youth group, housework, homework, school socials all back up, one against the other, to make our dad and daughters time fairly ...
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?” ...
How Music Increases the IQ of Our Children and the Joy It Brings
Ludwig van Beethoven said, “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” Ronnie James Dio, a former member of Black Sabbath, said, “Music, rock & roll music especially, is such a generational thing. Each generation ...
Meet the Detroit Dads Who Balance Dad-Life with Pub Rock
A group of dads from Detroit have formed a next-level dad band that doesn’t suck. Oakland Press -- the only media so far to cover the band’s unique context and history -- recounted the dad rockers' rise. Self-described as New Americana, the six-piece ensemble called Midnight Proof formed out of ...
The Day After the Big Day
Yesterday we celebrated our daughter’s wedding to a wonderful man and family. Our daughter Kiara looked absolutely radiant with an interior joy; her now-husband Doug, was magnificent -- strong, steady and adoring. Their evident love for each other lit up the church and the celebration that followed. As parents of ...
Backyard Dads
“Inaugurated in 1957, the Australian Father of the Year has been awarded annually to high-profile, famous fathers, from prime ministers and politicians to sportsmen, business leaders, entertainers and musicians acknowledging the support, guidance and love they show to Australian children.” So says Wikipedia. I am not famous or high-profile. The ...
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 ...
Family Law Reform Fiasco – Rearranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic
The proposed Family Law Amendment legislation by the Labor Government will be another case of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, instead of fixing the hole in the hull to stop the ship from going down. Many of the reform proposals, such as considering the best interests of the ...
Quality Family Time is Good Medicine
A unique story testifying to the bond between father and daughter has set parts of the internet on fire. Luis, a 78-old-year old dad living in Spain, was forced into a retirement home because of a loss of independence. This separated Luis from his inseparable, 38-year-old daughter, Estefania, who was ...
Investment in Marriage
Anything worth having is never free. As Francine and I raced around on a typical Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves at the local shopping village together. Never one to waste the opportunity to gain a ‘good husband’ brownie point, I declared we should have a ‘coffee date’. Naturally, Francine obliged ...
The Best Things About Being a Single Dad
A few weeks ago, on an impulse and wanting to share a snapshot of my post-separation status, I wrote a part-whimsical, part-serious piece about the worst parts of being a single dad. By implication, if some parts are worst, then there must be some best bits, says my cerebral dialogue. ...
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 ...
Dads ‘Cut Out’ in Changes to Law
Family law expert Patrick Parkinson says Labor’s proposal to amend the Family Law Act is a radical change that will take Australia back to when mothers were granted primacy in custody battles. The results for dads will be devastating.
The Art of Fatherhood
A thousand words are said to be sparked by a single image. While smartphones, Insta-perfect apps, and polished pics have superseded canvas, brush strokes, oil, and acrylic, there’s still a lot of love for the latter. Millions are paid out every year just for a chance to own a framed ...
Like Parent, Like Child
The most powerful influence on a couple is their family of origin. Good or bad, our experiences in our childhood prepared us for marriage. The young couple sitting opposite us had been married only a few years. They were experiencing some health challenges, but this is not what brought them ...
Winner Takes All
This week a television crew from the Japanese public broadcaster came to Sydney to interview family law specialist Justin Dowd, a former President of the NSW Law Society. Japan is considering a move away from mum-custody towards “joint parental authority” -- which recognises that it’s in the best interests of ...
