Christmas is a blessed season to pause and soak in the loving presence of your family, recalling the quiet joy of the first Christmas in the humble abode of the Holy Family. As the song says, “Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.” For many families, this is true. You see, kids love family. It’s what they instinctively long for. Christmas is really the celebration of what many in ...

This Christmas, create lasting memories while enjoying quality time with your children in the wondrous world of Minecraft. Sticking with the current D4K theme of activities that dads can do with their kids, few rainy-day ideas top an adventure through the virtual world of Minecraft. Since Minecraft’s Swedish creator, Markus Persson sold his 71% share to Microsoft in 2014 — after getting fed up with ‘armchair trolls’ — the block construction ...

God stepped into the messiness of humanity through His very human family, full of scandalous forebears. This Christmas, let us imitate Jesus and love our family members despite how annoying they may get! The Christmas Vigil Mass features the Gospel of Matthew (1:1-25). Depending on whether you get the long or short version, you might hear the genealogy of Jesus Christ — a rather long list of the forebears of Jesus, ...

If there is one thing that takes the edge off our Christmas joy, it’s the pressure of the consumer culture to give better, more unique, and thoughtful presents for an increasing multitude of people. No matter how much we criticise the materialistic values that dominate Christmas, every year, we get sucked into the eleventh-hour madness of shopping till midnight. A New Idea One of our best Christmases as kids was the ...

Despite the pace, there are ways to meet some of the challenges of the holidays. It’s not impossible to rise above the commercialised grind of Christmas. Men don’t have to be Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle all the Way, frantically tearing up the town trying to win the approval of his son by chasing down the latest toy fad. Pushing back against the grind can be as easy as picking up tools, ...

“Every day, in a 100 small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I matter?’ Their behaviour often reflects our response.” These are the wise words from L.R. Knost, a children’s writer and child advocate. Our challenge as Dads is to answer that same question. On Saturday, 11 December, I had to organise an all-day national prayer event on Zoom. I needed some help, so ...

From getting less sleep to talking about poo or having a messy home, there are “new normals” that every parent must adjust to. Here are my five new normals of parenting. What are yours? Amid a conversation about toilet training with another parent, a friend who doesn’t have children walked over to join in. Suddenly we realised that toilet training isn’t something you talk about in front of people without kids. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

“Easy Eddie” was the corrupt lawyer to Al Capone. In contrast, Butch O’Hare was a heroic Second World War fighter pilot. What did these two men have in common? What can we learn from their stories? Story Number One In the 1920s, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. He was notorious for corrupting the windy city with everything from bootlegging (illegal liquor) to prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer nicknamed ‘Easy Eddie’. ...

Albert Einstein said, “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” Einstein must have been writing about Larry Stockstill. The words on Larry’s weekly blog are certainly wise and get straight to the point. “My goal is to impart timeless truths that will enhance your value as a leader and keep you there your entire life journey.  If you have observed influential leaders who ...

The internet was ablaze in the 2000s with quips featuring American actor Chuck Norris (aka Carlos Ray Norris). Some of the best examples included, “Chuck Norris’s mind is connected to the internet. He refreshes Web pages by blinking;” and “Chuck Norris grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils water with his rage.” Another is, “Chuck Norris can ride a motor without a cycle.” Add to this, “When Chuck Norris crosses ...

What does John D Rockefeller, a nameless Melbourne businessman and an ancient King all have in common? In this post, Guy answers that question and outlines how you can avoid the same legacy-burning mistake that trips up many men on your way to real wealth. A few years back I sat at a famous Melbourne restaurant -The Flower Drum – for lunch.  The FB is a restaurant that you need deep pockets ...

In the Beginning My story really starts off no different than many of yours. I was born and raised in a small town in a two-parent household, the oldest of five children. I was surrounded by family, friends, and support my entire life. None of my friends were from divorced or separated families. None of my friends had a parent who died. I had no experience with these traumas and never ...

Emily Holleman a writer for The Cut, – part of New York Magazine’s ‘One Great Story’ section – recently condemned bearing children in the age of the “apocalypse,” selfish. As a committed father of five, I was intensely interested in what she had to say. Holleman’s reflection on anxiety and personal loss in a time of uncertainty is the better part of what becomes an environmentalist “sermon”. An autobiographical piece, the ...

Marriage gets a pretty bad rap these days. Celebrity bust-ups, high profile infidelity and a cohabitation takeover seem destined to put marriage into retirement. If it’s not already dead, it’s fast heading for extinction. Or so you might think. The truth is, despite these grim media representations, marriage is still rather popular. Weddings are at an all-time high and divorce has been in a steady decline (albeit slow) from its high of ...

Men are killing themselves in record numbers, yet we refuse to talk about it. Men achieve all that they are told will satisfy them, and yet they can not see enough joy and hope in life to keep going. It is time to speak up and stop this silent epidemic of death against men and their families. 13 months ago I wrote a post on this website about dads who kill ...

Cherish is a seven letter word and full of meaning. My first thought of the word is the way the NRL Grand Final winning team held onto the winners’ trophy, a trophy highly treasured by one and all. Perhaps the real meaning of the word cherish happened at the same event when Brian To’o put love into action. News.com.au puts us in the picture. Moments after the final siren, To’o found ...

When extreme perfectionism becomes embroiled in a family context, it invariably leads to deep discontent. This is part 1 in a series on perfectionism and how to find peace in the midst of it. When you get right down to it, most perfectionists are searching for peace. Basically, we want to be able to look around at the world we’ve created and proclaim, like our Creator, “Everything is very good” and so ...