Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but there is such a thing as the “Christmas Aftermath”.  The cleaning, the recovering, the losing weight and keeping the children entertained during Australian summer holidays. From a parent’s point of view, they stretch on forever, but from our children’s point of view, they are all too short. For this poor man who was attacked by his cat while opening his Christmas presents. ...

Only 5 sleeps till Christmas and I just cannot wait. I love Christmas. My fifth music album was all Christmas Carols, from Once in Royal David’s City to Christmas Day. Christmas really is one of the greatest times of the year, especially for our children. But early in my life I had a love/hate relationship with Christmas. I guess it all started when I was about six years old and I ...

Byrd Bagget says, “Work hard, do your best, live the truth, trust yourself, have some fun… and you will have no regrets.” Only twelve more sleeps till Christmas. All the more reason to live life with no regrets. Warwick, why are you talking about no regrets, twelve days out from Christmas? I thought you would never ask! Recently, my wife and I were invited to speak together at a church by ...

Several years ago, on International Men’s Day, Canberra’s ABC radio station rang me up and wanted to do an interview in Drive Time. I was happy to do it, until I found out my interviewer was a lady. Not that I have anything against the ladies, but ABC women (and many of the men) are noted for their bias against the male of the species. However, I am always up for ...

It is now ten days since International Men’s Day. The good news and the bad news just keep coming in. It is all very humbling. At times it is hard not to shed a tear. This bit of sad (bad) news contained in the letter below highlights why the team at Dads4Kids do what we do, and why we so greatly appreciate your support. I will let Jonathan share his story. ...

Dr Alex George has shared a heartfelt post in honour of his dad, Anthony, to mark International Men’s Day. The TV star, 30 years old, took to Instagram to mark the occasion and also urged his followers to check in on their male friends’ mental health. Alongside a selfie of himself with his retired police officer father, Alex wrote: “I am super proud of you Dad, you are always there for ...

In the early sixties, President John F. Kennedy said, “We need men who can dream of things that never were.” His words are still true today, as 92.8% of those who patent new inventions worldwide are men. Yes, the world still needs men today just as much as it ever did. Sadly, we live in an age where manhood is attacked publicly. It grieves me to say this, but to be ...

The team at Dads4Kids is so thankful to the three daring dads who featured in the Decorate Dad Challenge video. One of those amazing dads is Ashton Reed. Last Thursday, Ashton and his three beautiful children agreed to be featured in the TV story about why he took the Decorate Dad Challenge so seriously. To the joy of his children, they had the opportunity to decorate Dad all over again for ...

Dear Friends My friend Dr Bruce Robinson tells a story in his bestselling book, which forms the introduction to Fathering from the Fast Lane. An unforgettable and sad thing happened to me at a restaurant one evening. It illustrates how important it is to know if we, as fathers, are on the right track or not with our children. I was dining with a group of people and was talking to ...

The science shows that families who play together stay together, for more reasons than one. Jim Burns, in his article “Families that Play Together Stay Together”, said, “Playing together is an essential trait of happy, healthy families. Certainly, our children need to do their chores, and of course they need discipline with consistency, but what they also need desperately from their parents is a rousing game of hide-and-seek or a monthly ...

Robert Falzon, a good friend of mine in the men’s movement, asked me to contribute a chapter to his new book called Raising Fathers: Fathering from the Frontline — 12 Men’s Stories. Here is an excerpt from my contribution. It was a fine weather Sunday in this small resort town. The café was full of people having their lunch. No one seemed to recall seeing the young man with blonde hair ...

This week I would like to share an abbreviated article by former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia John Anderson, published in The Australian: “Black lives matter, but dads should matter first”. John’s main thesis is that most of the problems in our society, among both white and black, can be traced back to the Fatherless epidemic sweeping our Western world in particular. My wife and I have spent a lot of ...

“In family life, be completely present,” is a saying of Lao Tzu from 600 BC. Here we are now, 2600 years later, and we are still struggling to learn this simple but profound piece of advice. This advice is all the more critical for fathers, and even more critical for fathers living in the twenty-first century. Dr Justin Coulson has written a book on parenting titled: “What your child needs from ...

Two weeks ago, I wrote about “Work Day with Dad”. In the article, I told the story of a number of dads who had changed their children for the better by simply hanging out with them. The act of taking your children to work, or taking time from work to be with your children, is especially impactful.  This response from my friend Stephen, a very dedicated father of two young children, ...

I once went to a men’s breakfast where Paul Bartlett, then a father of young children, was speaking about the importance of fathers in the lives of their children. He told the story of how, once a month, his dad, who was in a high-pressure management job, used to take him to the Saturday markets at Campbelltown, west of Sydney. Paul used to look forward to this time with his father, ...

“Love is a many-splendored thing” is the title of a popular song from the fifties. Many people would argue the sanity of that song and concur instead with Shakespeare who said, “Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage”! Nobody would disagree with you if you said that our world is in the middle of a marriage crisis. In Australia, one in every three marriages ends in divorce. In America, it ...

Millions of Australian Dads will hear and see Dads4Kids‘ Best Daddy musical Community Service Advertisements over the next 12 months. They will be inspired to become who their children already think they are: ‘The Best Dad in the World’. Dads4Kids sees the whole year as a time to strengthen family relationships and encourage Dads, not only around Father’s Day. These CSAs will be seen on free to air TV over the ...

John Eldredge said in his bestselling book, Wild at Heart, “A hesitant man is the last thing in the world a woman needs. She needs a lover and a warrior.” I am sure that Chantelle, Mark Rapley’s wife, would agree with John’s prescient quote. This article in the Port Macquarie News tells the story well: Husband’s actions saved her life: woman recovers after shark attack at Shelly Beach. “A woman is ...

I could have titled this article The amazing things that happen when a father says “sorry”, but having the courage to say sorry and exercise forgiveness will work for anyone: dad, mum, male or female. Some years ago, at my daughter’s engagement party, I had the honour of giving a short speech. Recently I wrote about the fact that “in families, change is the only constant”. What I didn’t tell you ...

We need each other. The saying from Proverbs is true: “As iron sharpens iron, so does a man sharpen the face of his friend.” Robert Louis Stevenson put it this way: “No man is useless while he has a friend.” Dr John Tickell, a specialist in the keys for a long life, talks about the importance of the Ace of Clubs. His thesis is that we all need friends and family, ...