An uplifting call to fathers to harness the power of their words, reject self-limiting speech, and intentionally speak life, courage and affirmation into their children and themselves.

Today, I’m excited to announce Dads4Kids' latest Community Service Announcement (CSA) campaign, "Be The Best You Can Be", is going to air on TV networks all across Australia.

I fought back tears while listening to “To Be a Man” by Dax. This song about the meaning and challenge of being a man tells us that all men need encouragement, especially when we are tempted to stay, for despairing silence kills.

Decades of messy conversations have taught us that timing matters. Editing ourselves – and choosing the right moment – almost always leads to better listening, deeper understanding, and a stronger connection. 

Father’s Day is for all the dads you know, so let’s consider broadening the boundaries of Father’s Day to include a few more men who could use an encouraging word. Here are a few men to keep in mind on Father’s Day and questions to help inspire a meaningful message.

Dads, let’s look at positive habits we can pursue — 5 things to do that will help us be more affirming and encouraging for our kids and more peaceful with our exes and others.

Dads, you are important in the lives of your children. Whether you have contact with them or not, you are important. Make your presence count. See what your children are up to, listen to what they are going through, and speak words of encouragement to them.

Whether new to the dad guild or a veteran dad-lifer, blunt affirmations offer sharp relief. Telling ourselves objective truths keeps us fit for the fight.

Did you know that in the first 18 years of your child’s life, 7.1 years will be spent in school? Over one-third of the days you have with your child until they go to university or leave school to go to work will be spent going to school. Your child’s education is important and every year counts.  For my five children, that often meant different schools for different needs, including private ...

It happened in the shoe section at Big W. Casually browsing through the sandals, Tyson kneeling at my feet. He dropped a heel, paused and said: ‘b@&&er.’ Mortified. Where on earth did he learn…? Oh. Confession time: Amongst my many and varied flaws is a weakness for the odd expletive. Something that seemed harmless enough… until I heard that word come out of my ‘epitome-of-innocence’ 3-year-old’s mouth. The other customers in ...

A cherished friend of mine has just died. I cried with my daughters, struggling to get the words out as I related how dear Joe has been. I love Joe for the soft kindness he delivered. He gave me a sense of being a full dad every time I saw him. He told me, “You are such a good man,” and I cry again when I feel those words in the ...

Australian Olympian Bree Walker finds strength from her father, who ever encourages her to greater heights. He has been dedicated to supporting her in her sporting endeavours since childhood, sacrificing that she may succeed in her passions. Once a father, always a father. You will find that as your children grow up, they still need you. Just in different ways! Read this incredible story of Mick Walker and his 29-year-old daughter ...

Marital health is about more than minimising conflict. If we want to go from ‘good’ to ‘better’, we need to capitalise on the positives. Most marriage counselling and education focuses on conflict and incompatibility. It seeks to help couples find constructive ways of dealing with challenges in the relationship. It’s a ‘damage control’ approach that seeks to minimise the impact of negative experiences. Conflict management and relationship repair are important skills ...

Jordan Peterson issues a fresh challenge to men, to follow their highest impulses and become the strong husbands and fathers they are meant to be; to find and fulfil their purpose in life, in service to the community and the world. I first wrote about Jordan Peterson on 18 February 2018 after his breakthrough interview with Kathy Newman about his new book, 12 Rules for Life. That interview reached 7 million ...

The role that involved fathers play is vital. The opposite is also true: uninvolved fathers can cause significant wounds. But even these wounds can be redeemed to help others. “An engaged and loving father is the most powerful man-making force on the planet,” writes Earl Hipp in his perceptive article titled Healing the Absent Father Wound. He goes on: The opposite is also true. When fathers are absent, physically or emotionally, the ...

When a crisis hits you out of nowhere, what do you do next? When Guy faced nearly losing a child, he learned 13 lessons before the crisis was even over. Sometimes in life you have experiences that profoundly and permanently change you. Experiences either solidify your existing beliefs, assumptions and expectations, or they challenge and change what you thought you knew. Some are so small you don’t even notice them. Some ...

“Can you help me?” These were the words I first heard when I picked up the phone. “I can’t see my kids and I don’t know what to do. I feel like giving up and I am thinking about killing myself to shut off the pain.” The matter-of-fact way he said these words told me that this was no veiled threat, but a carefully considered option. Men don’t usually tell you ...

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 ...

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 ...

Ian ‘Watto’ Watson said, “I have never seen a bloke go backwards with encouragement.” Ian Watson spoke at the very first Men’s Leadership Summit at Paluma Range, north of Townsville, in 2013. Sadly, Ian passed away in 2019. The good news is that he left a massive legacy of encouragement for men the world over.   Rhonda McKenzie, Ian Watson’s niece, said this about him at his memorial service in a ...