Marriage is the coming together of two individuals, with natural differences. Loving honesty in communication helps us to grow together as one. What seems hard in marriage is often doing us good. A few weeks ago, we were invited to attend an event featuring Jordan Peterson. Curious to see this Canadian psychologist and academic, who was touring Australia with sell-out audiences, we took up the offer. One of the questions put ...

Are you able to graciously accept a “no”, or would you be cross and upset about it? I find it hard to say no to a lot of the opportunities in my life. The big opportunities that are life-changing, I pray about and give some thought to before saying yes. But the little decisions here and there of being asked to do this and whether I’d like to do that, I ...

I consider myself an expert in road tripping with small kids — having survived numerous flights and 2 car trips to Broken Hill of 18 hours each way. Yes, that’s right, 18 hours! First time with a 10-month-old; the second time with a 2-year-old and 7-month-old. It wasn’t pretty. So, here’s what I now know… Lesson 1. Be prepared Lesson 2. Be prepared Lesson 3. Be prepared Since Lessons 1, 2 ...

Men and women have different ways of communicating. Once you understand how to speak your beloved’s language, life will be a lot smoother! My wife asked me, “Does my hair look better?” The context of the conversation was that the COVID lockdowns had prevented her from going to the hairdresser to get her regular haircut. This is a grief to a woman, let alone the feeling of not looking her best. ...

Nappy changing is an acquired skill. Once you have mastered this fine art, you can look forward to all the following levels of fatherhood! When it comes to the art and skill of fathering, a lot has changed since the ‘wonder years’ of our father’s or grandfathers’ generation. Oh, the good old days — the prospective parent, relegated to the smoke-filled waiting room, hospital staff deeming it inappropriate for fathers to ...

Married life, like your career, take effort and investment. For resilience in your marital relationship, don’t expect your spouse to fulfil your every want; instead, learn to love them and grow with them through the ups and downs of life. A healthy and realistic perspective is the basis for a solid marriage. Let’s face it — marriage can be a tough gig these days. Living in a culture that almost expects ...

Homeschoolers need holidays too. Breaks are opportunities to grow and flourish as a family — a valuable time for exploration and rejuvenation. While the home education timetable doesn’t have to follow allotted times for school term breaks set by the government, it is generally a good idea to keep in step with them. We are a homeschooling family on the go. School holidays are a chance to change pace. A chance ...

There is only one of you in the whole world. Take the opportunity to hone your talents and grow where you are planted. I have always believed God places the right people at the right time in your life to counsel you and offer guidance and encouragement when you need it. Lately, I’ve been having a few chance encounters and friendships that have been placed in my life at the right ...

If we don’t let our children know they are beautiful, handsome and attractive, they will look for affirmation elsewhere. Build up your child’s positive body image and self-confidence. “Don’t tell your daughter she is beautiful,” says Jo Swinson, a female Minister in the UK. She would prefer children be praised for “completing tasks or their ability to be inquisitive” rather than “for wearing a nice outfit” as she believes this is ...

Developing a close friendship with your spouse and children through mutual shared interests helps to cement the bond as a family, creating lasting lifelong relationships. Many people ask us how we have raised five well-balanced, successful children.  They are amazed at the close friendship we have as a family. Often, we are equally amazed because we know all the mistakes we have made as parents. We feel at times like it ...

The perfect is the enemy of the good. While it is important to have standards while selecting a life partner and future parent of your children, having an overly idealistic dream will blind you to the suitable real-life humans in front of you. Chasing ‘Happily Ever After’ It sounds so romantic: ‘Destiny’ has each of us perfectly matched with someone with whom we will form an instant rapport. All we need ...

As parents, friendship and community support are essential for getting through the ups and downs of parenting. My personal Facebook newsfeed has been filled with pictures of mums giving Tough Mudder a go. I look at the pictures of mud and shudder because I know that it’s not something I want to do. But I have learned never to say never, because whenever I say never, I find myself a year ...

With the tumult of boisterous offspring, sometimes the quiet moments of recuperation are found nearer to home. Who needs a holiday? In my life BC (Before Children), my idea of complete relaxation was luxuriating beside a pool on a tropical island, reading a book, or ordering room service and getting up only to go to the bathroom. Sigh… good times. Nowadays, the idea of going away is exhausting! Packing for four ...

A convert to homeschooling explains why he eventually chose this educational path for his children, musing on the variety of resources and the dedication required of homeschooling parents. 2022 marks my 9th year as a home-school dad, as well as my family’s 12th year as homeschoolers. Not bad for a dad who was against the idea of us ever home-schooling. A Fresh Concept In the beginning, I was never anti-home-school. I ...

Our daughter’s recent musical debut paid homage to a childhood memory from Disneyland — and the love we have given her. “She’s gone,” were the shocked words of my wife. “What do you mean she’s gone?” I said, with an ever-increasing desperate tone. “You were holding her hand a moment ago in the queue for the merry-go-round.” “Yes, I know,” answered my wife. “We decided we had better come and meet ...

Editor’s Note: We had a chat with Leith Erickson, founder of the Australian Brotherhood of Fathers, this week and offered to help bring awareness to some of their exciting projects, to support the cause of single fathers. Please find below a thrilling project we believe worthy of your consideration. ___ Photographer Stephen Walton of Sydney has been following the suicide awareness campaign #21fathers since its release. Failing System Stephen contacted the ...

Working together with your spouse in parenting and disciplining your children makes it all the more effective. Now to introduce our second pup. His name was Chance and he was a very handsome Black Labrador. Chance was a “by the rule book” pup and loved people’s company on his terms. Chance also had a stubborn streak that had him withdrawn from the program, so he became our pet. Lesson 3: Two ...

Everyone experiences love differently. Biology, upbringing, personality and experiences all influence the way an individual likes and needs to be loved. Being different in this way isn’t a problem. In fact, it’s one of the things that make relationships a rich and wonderful experience. Different Wavelenghts What is a potential problem is that both you and your spouse (or fiance, date, friends etc) will instinctively give love in the way that ...

Celebrating your birthday as a parent is not quite the same as in pre-parent life, but it sure is a barrel of fun with your munchkins! I had a great birthday. I didn’t have any expectations, but I did make hints about possible things I’d like to do on the day, and those hints were heard. Morning Sunshine The morning started with two eager faces, wanting to wake me up so ...

How do you react when your child spews all over your outfit for the day? What is beauty, really? Does it go beyond appearances? I know you’ve been there: all dressed up, ready to walk out the door, when bub throws up all down your front. Do I: A. Drop everything, change my outfit and risk being characteristically late? Or B. Wipe myself off and keep walking? I chose B. And ...