Alison: Here is a joke about marriage education I remembered: My wife and I went to a Marriage Workshop last week: I worked She shopped. The Marriage Kit continues to widen and deepen my long education on marriage (40 years this year!). Module 3 is all about communication but it’s titled, “Let’s Talk”. How appropriate! And how necessary is talk, at least to the affection-seeking wife. One of Module 3’s headlines ...

The joke that our photo and humour editor, Ron Hellyer, posted in the laughter section the other week sure put a smile on my face. I am equally sure that the vast majority of men who read our newsletter each week would also be able to smile and say, “I know that man”. No names will ever be mentioned of course, least of all yours or mine. To refresh your memory, ...

The Marriage Kit just gets better and better. The Love Tank is getting seriously full. This type of online course really works for marriage couples because you can do it together. Love Deconstructed, the title of the second module of the Marriage Kit is full of interesting information. The interactive questions provoke some very deep and profound soul searching. The topics of the different sections are quite self explanatory: The Science ...

Steve Biddulph says, ‘love grows the brain’. Steve is right but love is one of those commodities that is in desperately short supply in the homes that many children inhabit. Currently one in three marriages fail. The rate is higher for second and third marriages. People say that kids are better off when unhappy parents divorce, but the social sciences show that the reverse is the case. If parents stick out ...

This week Alison and I completed part one of a five week marriage called The Marriage Kit by Dr Byron & Francine Pirola . . . and you know what? It works! Every year we have always tried to find a course or a seminar to do to fortify our marriage. As Andre Maurois said, “A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day”. Alison and I believe ...

Family Rules are important, but there are some that I regret. Years ago I made a rule about my own conduct, hoping that others (hint, hint) who were then 10, 8, 6, and 3 would follow my family rule. My daughter had not yet been born. The rule was: public offence means public apology. This worked admirably when my second eldest, who was making gunpowder in his mother’s expensive Tupperware, had ...

Adam Sandler is a very funny man, but can be a bit rough around the edges for my liking. Alas, so is much of modern comedy. The movie ‘Click’ is Sandler to a tee. Happy Gilmore move over. Acerbic, sharp, funny and pushing the boundaries of humour (often in the wrong direction) this movie is something more than a comedy. ‘Click’ packs a message with a steel punch. Put family first ...

Morgan Freeman’s words boomed out across the cinema,” This is a story about love, and like most love stories, it begins with utter foolishness.” What were we watching? The latest remake of ‘Gone with the Wind’, or a romantic version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’? No, not exactly. My wife and I were snuggling up together, in the cinema seats, to watch ‘The March of the Penguins’. Snuggling was the proverbial word ...

In a matter of days we celebrate Valentine’s Day by sending a card to the love of our life, buying flowers, chocolates or a host of other things to ‘prove’ our love for our one true love. Some people hate the rampant commercialism whilst others among us go along for the ride. I myself think that any custom that provokes us to keep the flame of love alive has got to ...

Manvotionals is the title of a book that grips you right away if your passion is to be a good father and husband. Every man knows that to be a good father you must first become a good man. Manhood matters, but herein lies the challenge. That is where Brett and Kate McKay’s book Manvotionals comes into the picture. My wife got it for me for my birthday and I read ...

Stafano Guazzo said, “Among all the abuses of the world . . . there is none worse than a negligent father”. The scriptures say, “The sins of the father go down to the third and fourth generation”. When fathers go right, families go right. When fathers go wrong families go wrong. The results can be devastating. Author Philip Carlo has written a book called ‘The Ice Man – Confessions of a ...

Home for Dinner is a new book by Anne Fishel that will change your life if you read it. That is a pretty bold statement from a guy who has not read the book yet but I have got my order in. I ordered my own copy after reading Anne’s brilliant article called “Science Says Eat with your Kids”. I have covered this subject in numerous articles over the years, collating ...

War stories have always caught my attention, especially manly acts of courage and chivalry. Maybe others feel like me and that is why the Art of Manliness featured Adam Makos, the writer of ‘A Higher Call’ in a recent podcast with a fuller story about the book on their blog. Alison, my wife, knowing how much I love inspirational stories, borrowed the book from the local library over the holiday period. ...

Sun Tzu was the general of an army in ancient China in 600 BC. I have heard about his writings for over 30 years. This Christmas I received a copy of the Art of War by Sun Tzu. It was exciting to read the book for myself for the first time. Many would argue he was a great philosopher and psychologist as well as being a great general. I was struck ...

Just as today is the first day of the rest of your life, so the New Year 2015 is the first year of the rest of your life. Why not make it the best year of your life? What do I mean by ‘the best’? Well, make it what you want it to be. There are three types of people in the world. Those who ‘make’ things happen, those who ‘watch’ ...

I love Christmas, but last week, from Australia’s point of view, could only be described as the week from hell. On Monday morning we learned the news that an Islamic terrorist had taken over the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD. This self-styled radical Muslim cleric was holding almost two dozen people hostage in the name of Islamic State, the most murderous group on the planet. These are the ...

One of the really good reasons why we as dads need our children is to keep us laughing. Adults laugh an average of 17 times per day, our children laugh about 400 times a day. Laughter is infectious, which is why TV sitcoms have a laugh track. Laughter is so contagious; it can even reach epidemic proportions. In 1962, in the African country known as Tanzania, a few schoolgirls began to ...

Two friends sitting together were reflecting on the tragic events of the week. One of them shared that he was due to be in Martin Place for a meeting on Monday morning 15th December and would have dropped in to the Lindt café for a coffee. The meeting was postponed and he found himself instead watching the act of terror unfold on TV. They were encouraged by how many times the ...

The saying, ‘the friendless owner of the world is poor’ could well be changed to, ‘the friendless owner of the world is sick’. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have identified a distinct pattern of gene expression in immune cells from people who experience chronically high levels of loneliness. ‘The study provides a molecular framework for understanding why social factors are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, ...

I have been receiving calls from all over the country from happy men and even more joyful wives. The last batch of the 10 week ‘Good to Great Fathering Courses’ are finishing up for the year and I am enjoying the stories of ‘Transformanation’ coming from the men who have completed the fathering course. Let me share a few: I spoke with a father of two who works in the building ...