Gratitude now has a voice. We as fathers need to be encouraged to be thankful, so we can encourage our children to be the same. Thankful people are happy people. Thankful families are happy families. I even try to teach this to myself, but some things are better caught than taught! When my friend Mark Powell sent me the video below, I nearly leapt out of my skin with excitement. Mark ...

Have you every found yourself in a battle against a system so powerful that they can squash you like a bug, irrespective of what your rights are? In this podcast, Chris shares his ongoing battle to get some answers and have his rights recognised in a David vs Goliath battle that is not yet over. Most of us have heard about David vs Goliath.  It is the quintessential underdog story or ...

Change is stressful, so we all need tips on how to deal with change. Real Talk 4 Real Men episode 56. Change brings on stress, and so in part 3 of Thrive Through Change, we dedicate an entire episode on how to deal with stress. We all know that when negative things are going on in our lives, it causes stress. Things like a relationship breakup, a job redundancy, a health ...

You might remember the fantastic Prager University “Make Men Masculine Again” video that we featured in our weekly Dads4Kids newsletter in 2018. It now has over 10 million views. Recently, Dennis Prager from Prager University put out a powerful video called “Are Fathers Necessary?”  Sadly, it will most likely be shadow-banned by Facebook and YouTube, as was the “Make Men Masculine” video. George Orwell was right to say, “There are some ...

Are you making slow progress managing change? Not sure what to do next? Low confidence in your ability to make the right decision? … help is here. Managing change, especially managing personal change, can be like heading into a high-grade river rapid. The transition is filled with a combination of adventure and chaos that can leave us dazed, confused and doubting ourselves and our future. In part 2 of 13 Principles ...

Going through a life transition is like going from smooth water to white-water. Find out how to stay afloat… Ever gone rafting or kayaking and experienced the change from flat calm water to raging rapids? The calm disappears and you enter into a mix of chaos and adventure. Life transitions are like that, and like rafting white-water, life transitions require a certain skill-set and preparation to handle well. Get Ready For ...

What is the secret to raising resilient children? Matthew McConaughey is an extremely popular American actor and producer who has a story to tell about raising resilient children. His new book, a memoir called Greenlights, which includes some of these stories, is selling well. McConaughey has received many awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Here is a short transcript (7:28 – 11:44) of ...

Anyone who has been a father and then a stepfather knows that they aren’t the same. While many aspects of these two roles are similar, it is the unique ones that lead to disillusionment. Franklin put it this way: “I’ve been to every Promise Keepers conference and I’ve studied fathering with my men’s group many times. But nothing has prepared me for being a stepfather. With my own kids I have a ...

Most people love stories. I am a sucker for a good story. “Have you got your marbles?” is an old but good story with a powerful punchline. Let me know what you think! Check it out and post a comment below at the Daily Dad. I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising ...

I am asked repeatedly if I miss homeschooling my children. My answer is consistently a resounding, “no.” The only part of homeschooling I miss is the flexibility it afforded. We were able to travel the world and homeschool on the road. When we read a book, we could visit the city where the book took place. Since the coronavirus has pushed me back into the homeschool teacher seat, I thought I should share how I’m ...

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Eric Barker, it would seem, has been inspired by Gandhi’s wisdom in his science-based article called, “How to Raise Happy Kids: 10 Steps Backed by Science.”  Eric Barker is the creator of the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, and the book of the same name, which presents science-based answers and expert ...

Dads in Distress hold weekly meetings to enable fathers who are affected by relationship and custody issues to come together in an atmosphere geared toward practical support, progress and healing. We don’t denigrate woman at our meetings, in fact we encourage men to look in the mirror to understand what part of the blame they own, if any. We simply guide men to become the cause of their future and not ...

Editor’s Note: Mark & Susan Merrill from Florida in the USA are an amazing couple who have some great resources. See the links below: The Family First Podcast is the podcast dedicated to providing truth-filled marriage and parenting advice that helps you love your family and others well. Our desire is that the podcast allows us to connect with you all on a deeper level, with richer content, and gives us ...

Yesterday I heard a disturbing story. My friend rang me to share how his son had recently gone through a very sad divorce. He shared with his Dad how the unreality of the digital world, that many young people live in today, was a major contributor to his divorce and his general lack of wellbeing. My friend’s son pointed out that after a while, for the inhabitant of the digital world, ...

The DIDs story, Part 1. My name is Tony Miller, and I am the founder and national coordinator of a group called Dads in Distress, a dedicated support group of men whose immediate concern is to stem the present trend of male suicide due to the trauma of divorce or separation. Current statistics indicate that 5.3 males per day or 37 males per week (ABS Information Paper, Suicides 2001) will take ...

There I was, staggering down the dark hallway at 5.30 a.m., trying not to wake the children. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. What is that, I thought? Maybe a mouse? No, it looks bigger than a mouse. Maybe it’s a rat? Peering down in the darkness, I realised it was a frog. But how did such a large frog get into the house? All of these ...

A mother makes a father, and a father makes a mother. Parenthood happens in unison. So, it goes without saying that Mums are incredibly priceless and vital, just as Dads are. So why don’t we value mothers more than we do? Studies and anecdotal evidence show that mothers generally feel very under-appreciated. As men we must change that. Check out Dads4Kids‘ contribution to that change in the new “Love You Mum” ...

Anzac Day — what do I think about that? Well, firstly I’m grateful, grateful to soldiers who laid down their lives for me so that today I live in peace because of their selflessness, their courage, their daring. So I am grateful, and I spend the weekend carrying thoughts of those men in my heart. I wonder how many were fathers; I wonder how many families had to survive without a ...

Today is Anzac Day, 25th April. The most holy day in the Australian calendar. It is a day when we remember the men who gave their lives for us all, that we might walk in freedom. Dawn Remembrance Services are held across the nation.  This phrase from the Bible is repeated ten thousand times, if not more, in these dawn gatherings: “Greater love has no man than this that he lay ...

Editor’s Note: It’s been nearly three months since we were here, but when we last updated the story of dad-life for our author, his wife had just been told that she was pregnant with number two. Life had just gotten down to some sort of order, and everything was about to be turned upside-down, all over again! ___ Agony and Ecstasy: One man’s journey through fatherhood. So, here we go again. ...