Taylor is the popular girl at my daughters’ all-girl school. All schools have popular kids. This popular girl holds some sort of easy charm, often leaving some girls pining for that social standing. Normally I wouldn’t be too fussed about the popular girl; however, I believe that Taylor is stepping onto my parenting turf. And, when it comes to the well-being of my children, I am fiercely territorial. I try to ...

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. Something that seemed harmless enough… until I heard that word come out of my ‘epitome-of-innocence’ 3-year-old’s mouth. The other customers in ...

“Children need your presence more than they need your presents,” are the wise words of Jesse Jackson. Both Dads and kids need a purpose to develop the art of presence. To assist you in this art, we have gathered together 40 things that Dads can do with their children. This is particularly relevant over holiday periods. Almost 80% of them don’t require any money, but they do require effort and execution. ...

A good way to prepare for the New Year is to reach for a SWOT analysis, unpacking the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the year ahead. Although ‘fail to plan, plan to fail,’ is a tired, tedious old phrase, the truth it conveys still offers a solid punch, motivating enough incentive to set down on paper a map sharp enough to smash out some realistic goals. SWOT is a man’s ...

New research validates age-old wisdom: the simple habit of gratitude can transform a jaded marriage into a joyous encounter. By Marilyn Rodrigues A University of North Carolina study highlighted the association of gratitude with a happy marriage. Cameron Gordon, the study’s lead author, said that the goodwill generated by grateful spouses creates a “reciprocal feedback loop” of marital harmony, helping spouses to view their interactions even on bad days in a ...

I hold a lofty ideal for my daughters. Lofty and simple. I want them to be sure in believing that they are wholesome people of value, who can tend generously to others and themselves. If I am doing well as a mindful dad, then I am setting my daughters up to be caring companions to friend, family and foreigner. As they develop the skills to rely less on me and fend ...

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 persuasion and any other variation you wish to throw into the mix. When you have a strong culture in a home, ...

“Christmas is the day that holds all time together.” These are the words of Alexander Smith. To understand the wonder of Christmas, we must first understand the story. Let’s start with the facts, straight from Wikipedia. I will intermingle some of my favourite Christmas videos to keep you inspired. History of Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions ...

I’m usually a lot better prepared for Christmas. Not this year. This year, the week to trump all weeks caught us off-guard. We missed a beat or two in preparation for the only few weeks capable of slowing down the Western world. The weeks that remind the Scrooges and time-poor alike that life is more than hyper-consumerism and a dreary, soul-sucking 8-5 existence. A rushed Christmas is not really Christmas at ...

Advent is a season of anticipation. The birth of any child, not least the Messiah, gives us cause for hope. Earlier this week, we heard the testimony of Chris and Natalie Stefanick, a couple who had journeyed through dark seasons in their marriage. Having survived sexual abuse as a child, Natalie found she needed many years of therapy and healing. She recounted one of her darkest times, when she doubted that ...

Joe is a mate of mine. “Mate” hardly describes our connection, yet the sporadic contact belies a relationship that holds strong meaning for me. Joe is pretty much anonymous to most, but that is of his own making. He is humble at a time when indulgence and opulence seemed to be currency. For a long time, he struggled as an artisan. Other carpentry shops that ran slave labour gazumped the hand-crafted ...

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, or if they waited a few minutes until he returned, they could have two! The experimenters found that some children had ...

Psychologist and renowned speaker Dr Jordan Peterson has some home truths for parents. Parenting is certainly challenging, but it is a tremendous privilege and responsibility that should not be subsumed by competing priorities. Bette Davis said, “If you have never been hated by your children, you haven’t been a parent.” She is correct; being a parent is tough. Being a dad is even harder, because the buck stops with Dad! My ...

Paraphrasing the great G.K. Chesterton, novelist Neil Gaiman wrote, “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” His words summarise the essence of an obscure essay from Chesterton called The Red Angel, written in defence of the ordinary hero, who is set against extraordinary odds. ‘Fairy tales don’t give the child his first idea of ...

At our daughter’s recent award assembly, the school principal addressed the topic of ‘Growth Mindset’. She noted how education was more than merely preparing students for exams and aiming for maximum marks on their university entrance ranking. In a country where we have national examinations of all school children every two years from the age of seven, this is a somewhat radical position. The education system has always had its critics, ...

I am more than a little miffed at Myer. Before I realised that I was watching an ad, the baited opening line invited, “Ever wonder where wonderful went?” and my drifting mind was hooked. I had been suckered into a wistful memory of the wonder of my own childhood. “When we were small, wonderful was everywhere.” In my world, it still is. My wonder is in taking pause when my Year ...

‘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 get back into it as soon as my baby’s old enough.’ ‘Sooo, you’re a stay-at-home mum,’ I said. ‘Yeah, I know. ...

I have a confession to make. I’m a ‘marriage junkie’. Before I go any further let me warn you: this is a blast from the past in more ways than one. You see, I have written about this before, and I wish I could say I am getting better, but it is not the case. So why am I a marriage junkie and what exactly is a “Marriage Junkie?” Maybe it’s ...

A new book from Richard V. Reeves is winning widespread applause for offering hope to men in a post-feminist world. Released in September, ‘Of Boys and Men: Why the modern male is struggling, why it matters, and what to do about it, the father, author, and British-American expat argues for a fundamental shift in the societal attitude towards masculinity. The Guardian highlighted two of Reeves’ major points, first congratulating the author ...

As a kid, an atlas could hold me entranced for hours. The individually coloured lands and crazy contortions of coastlines mesmerised me. My boyhood fascination for maps was revived last week as I arrived for dinner at Simon’s grandparents’. Simon and his pop were surveying a school atlas. Because I am not so modest with my adventures, I turned the conversation to how I had flown to the other side of ...