It’s a simple question, but sometimes it’s hard to get your children to answer it. Here’s what I discovered works when asking my son about his day at school. “How was school?” “Good.” “What did you get up to?” Silence. “Who did you play with?” Silence. My life has come to this. After years of begging my child to be quiet, now I’m pleading with him to talk to me! “You’re ...

Some parents worry that too much nurture can make children co-dependent. But the risk of too little is worse. You won’t believe what love and nurture does to your child’s brain. “I wish I hadn’t cuddled my babies so much,” said no mother, ever! It’s probably one piece of parenting advice I’m glad I didn’t take. Amongst the dozens and dozens of parenting books I read, some parenting ‘experts’ claimed that ...

The celebration of International Men’s Day is saving men’s lives by the tens of thousands every year that it is celebrated. Read about some of the awesome events that took place this year. International Men’s Day is exploding around the world. So firstly, thank you for your support for Internationals Men’s Day and Dads4Kids. Without your help, we could not have put International Men’s Day (IMD) on the global stage. A ...

International Men’s Day was celebrated on the 19th of November, 2021. Its message was stopping the gender war and bringing men and women together. This theme was a welcome change to the media provocation of the tensions between men and women. For so long, the cultural elites and some strains of feminism (and masculinism) have fuelled the divisions between the sexes instead of bridging the gender divide. Dr John Gray has said, ...

Think about your “I do” and make it a daily one. Ask, what will “I do” for my marriage today? It’s a powerful strategy for both the good times and the bad. At a recent business conference, a speaker made an offhand remark about having to recommit to her marriage vows every day. It was in the context of a discussion about the challenges of change management and how reforming a company ...

Healthy habits are important when life is busy and stressful. These five simple strategies are almost guaranteed to improve your life and make you a happier person. Are you able to ‘shake it off’ when faced with the stress of looming deadlines, relationship conflicts, family pressures, long work hours and burgeoning household chores? If not, you’re perfectly normal. For many of us, the strains of daily life can quickly take their ...

What is your worst fear as a mother? Mine is losing one of my children — and that’s exactly what happened to me recently! I lost Magdalene at the shops on Monday, and it scared me like nothing else. One moment, she was standing with other children her age watching a playdough show. The next, she was nowhere to be seen, and I panicked. Where could she have gone? Did someone ...

Life is an adventure. Coordinating International Men’s Day (IMD) for the world is a super adventure. For starters, it is a relatively new concept on the world stage of ideas, but as Victor Hugo once said, “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time is come.” International Men’s Day has a big future. Ultimately, it will peak, but not for another ten years or more. With noble ideas, it is ...

Forget Finding Nemo and Three Men and a Baby. Here are fifteen family-friendly films about dads that dads will actually enjoy watching! 15. Swing Vote (2008) Kevin Costner plays the uninterested, apolitical Bud Johnson. Thanks to the wiles of his daughter, Johnson ends up becoming an election-decider after she votes on his behalf without him knowing.  14. Houseboat & Father Goose This 1958 Cary Grant and Loren classic sees Grant take ...

It happens all the time: one of us does or says something and the other is triggered, reacting harshly. To break the habit of reactivity, try this mindfulness tool to develop the virtue of restraint. While it is often associated with Buddhist meditation, mindfulness has actually been a feature of many religions under different names, including Christianity. It has also become an essential tool in the field of psychology for helping ...

God’s wisdom and plans are greater than ours. It is tempting to chart our children’s lives for them, but even better is when we let God take the wheel – directing our lives and our children’s lives too. Do you already have the “perfect” plan designed for your children’s lives? As parents, I believe this is a particularly difficult area to manoeuvre. Wanting the very best for our children, we can ...

What do your children value? Reflecting on the way children treasure the simplest things can teach us important lessons in life about what we treasure. My girls are obsessed with little bits and pieces. Their bits and pieces might be a compilation of parts from toys, Barbie accessories, bracelets or plastic jewellery. They love anything little. It’s the kind of stuff that I would call junk, but my Esther and Magdalene ...

Can’t sleep? You’re not alone, and you’re also not without hope. Consider these simple, practical strategies to get your sleep habits back on track. Whether it’s your late afternoon latte, noisy neighbours, or just too much on your mind, daytime mayhem often means bedtime bedlam. We work hard to meet our daily commitments, but a lack of quality sleep can play havoc with our bodies and minds. Tiredness can affect our ...

International Men’s Day is more relevant than ever. Celebrating this important day is the key, not just to defending men – but women, children and families as well. In two weeks we will mark International Men’s Day, on Friday 19th November. So why should we celebrate International Men’s Day? The Revolution is Here Ten years ago, its celebration was an optional extra. But today, we are fighting for the very notion ...

I am thankful for my “deadbeat” dad and encouraged by his example. Why? Because his mistakes have taught me what not to do as a father! Among the most inspirational figures in my life – who encourages my parenting style and has a significant impact on me – is my “deadbeat” dad. He wasn’t a successful father, but his failures have helped me try and avoid failures of my own. I ...

There are always ample opportunities to forgive others, especially in a marriage. But sometimes we don’t know how. Consider three tips to help you forgive more easily in the context of a covenant relationship. We remember those long nights in the first year of our marriage. In the infancy of his career, Byron was often late home from work as he juggled the demands on his time. Initially, Francine was so grateful when ...

Parenting comes with so many challenges. But the biggest challenge of all is stopping to enjoy the joys – the ‘sweet spots’ – of parenting. This year has been one of the most challenging years of parenting for me. In some ways, I assumed this year would be easier because Esther would be at kindy, and I’d only have Maggie and Phoebe at home. But it can be hard keeping a ...

An open letter to kids church leaders: you are doing more for our children than you realise. Praise God for your ministry! For 15 years, I’ve served in kids church or children’s ministry at different churches and denominations. During that time, I worked almost solely with 2-4 year olds. Through those years, I wondered about the impact it had on their lives – if any – apart from providing a child-free ...

It’s November, which means next month is Christmas. It will come sooner than you think. Here’s a Christmas recipe to tuck away, ready for the silly season. Recently, I had a crazy idea of creating a Christmas nativity scene out of chocolate. If I’m honest, I’m no food blogger. I have previously shared a photo of my Christmas shortbread: it was as black as the ace of spades. That’s what happens ...

The desire to change other people is natural but it will only lead to frustration. You will enjoy the most success and contentment in life when you focus not on changing people but changing yourself. If only my children were more helpful and cooperative… If only I had a smaller behind and a prettier face… If only they understood me better… If only everyone in this house was more considerate… If ...