Launched in 1999, and now celebrated in more than 90 countries worldwide, International Men’s Day is going from strength to strength. International Men’s Day celebrates positive male role models and the loving strength that men bring to their families and communities. We highlight the need to address the male suicide crisis and we often campaign for improvement in men’s health. One of the six pillars of International Men’s Day is: “To focus on ...

Three grieving dads in the United Kingdom are walking around the country attempting to raise awareness about teen suicide. Mike, Andy, and Tim lost their daughters, Beth, Sophie, and Emily, to the UK suicide epidemic. They chose fundraiser walking as a way of challenging the culture and honouring their daughters’ memory. So far, the suicide-bereaved fellowship of three have raised over £880,000, with the hope of reaching £1,000,000. A number far ...

There are hills surrounding Hobart that shouldn’t be attempted without crampons and ropes. Building on the side of such precipices affords extensive vistas over the city and beyond to a succession of mountains or ocean horizon. The gentler slopes also made for a great proving ground for my daughters as toddlers when gravity plucked hold of them to propel them forward while their trainee legs worked to get ahead of their ...

Adventure is essential for developing maturity and independence through firsthand experiences. When undertaken as a family, adventure forms lasting marvellous memories and excellent life skills. Some time ago, I rang a friend who was going around Australia on a 41/2-month adventure with his family. They were just about to cross the Nullarbor Plain, which contains the longest straight stretch (146.6 km) of road in the world. This section of road is ...

Australian dad James Brougham is setting the dad-life bar high, running 500km while pushing his kids in a wheelbarrow to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS). So far, the single father and his young sidekicks, both under the age of six, have made it 387km, raising AUD $7,196 for the medical aviation organisation founded by the Reverend John Flynn in 1928. Relying heavily on donations to stay solvent, ...

There’s a temptation to focus on the joy and wonder of birth and the bond between a young baby and its mother. But it’s undeniable that the experience for dads is inherently different, whether it’s pregnancy, birth, taking care of a tiny infant, or parenting a toddler, youth, tween, and teen. Two Mindsets After decades of our society striving towards gender equality, I still see that men and women approach parenting ...

The family law system is unfairly stacked against separated fathers who simply want joint custody of their children. “Custody — Blood is Thicker Than Water” is an inspiring true story of a loving father who fought the system so that he could be a dad to his son. As Dads, we are all our brother’s keepers. In this case, Single Dads are our brothers. We must all do our best to ...

A majority of dads bond with their daughters through shared activities. Dad and daughter bonds are linked to what a 2013 Baylor University study called ‘closeness in the doing.’ “This is,” Baylor affirmed, “the masculine style of building closeness.” Mums tend to bond through the “feminine orientation of talking” — an observation the study described as “closeness in dialogue.” Building Memories Leaning on experiential data, Baylor noted, “When asked what key ...

In an ideal world, perhaps one could follow all the steps in the parenting books, but real life often leaves scant time to read those books, so you just have to follow your instincts and values! At work the other day, one of the web developers made a quirky observation: “I don’t want the future version of me to look back at the past version of me to say ‘[Expletive]! If ...

In this edition of ‘What Guide Dog Puppy Raising Taught Me About Raising Kids’, connection was a key thing our fourth pup thrived on. This wonderful pup’s name was Keith, and he was a compassionate black Labrador who loved to spend time with us. Keith was full of personality and loved to work and just be a companion to anyone who would spend time with him. An interesting fact about Keith ...

It is 6 degrees in Hobart, Tasmania and about 8 degrees off being properly cold. There is no snow. The wind is on leave. It is dark though. The rich indigo of the night and the stillness makes it a near-perfect evening to gaze on Articulated Intersect, the incredible light show that makes it the most public of the various installations around Hobart, that make up the winter festival. There are ...

"Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue" (2010) is the third movie in the Disney Fairies series. It follows the adventures of Tinker Bell (of Peter Pan fame) and her fairy friends on their summer sojourn in the human world.

As a parent, you have to be able to lead family discussions with a listening ear, respecting each family member’s point of view. From the diversity of opinions, in love you can forge a united course of action. Sincere agreement is vital for harmony and effectiveness. Many years ago, Dads4Kids convened Australia’s first-ever Fathering Forum in Federal Parliament in Canberra. Almost 30 different groups were represented. The one thing each group ...

The stall at the Salamanca Market with a large sprig pulled from a peppercorn tree caught my attention. The farm my dad grew up on had an enormous peppercorn tree and many of my memories that bring on a smile feature that tree as a backdrop… the rusted chains draped over a lofty branch that held the swing… to the home-hewn plank of a weatherworn seat of a swing… Granddad sawing ...

James Richards, a dad in the United Kingdom, has taken a different approach to discipline, and he’s winning props for the idea. The Kent father-of-three came up with a creative way to reach his chore-averse kids by using an example from history to teach them gratitude, as well as the difference between work and slavery. Richards, fed up with his children going AWOL from the housework, decided to act. Visual Reminder ...

If mothers and children are to be properly supported, educators and employers must recognise the vital role of fathers as caregivers too. “Schools and companies need to understand that dads can be parents too.” An article recently published by Employee Benefit News rightly argued that ‘companies need to support working dads as caregivers.’ Despite its war-on-the-patriarchy, gender-neutral, wonky woke tone, EBN’s argument, put forward by associate editor Deanna Cuadra, hit the ...

Laughter, Sex, Vegetables and Fish — 10 Secrets of Long-Living People is definitely a book title that is going to grab your attention. Many years ago, I was standing in a bookshop in Tasmania, trying to find my credit card so that I could invest in a book on how to live longer. It was a long-life investment! Dr John Tickell is a medical doctor, international speaker, bestselling author, and television ...

Fatigue can be fatal. Like grief, it hits every one of us in different ways. The best we can do is work the process by way of exercise, rest, and diet, in order to manage a way through it. While maintaining a healthy lifestyle adds another chore to the dad-list, being healthy-minded not only builds energy — it relieves stress, clears the head, and opens the door to more family activities. ...

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 ...

I recently let myself be cajoled into letting my children make up ground on their lack of Saturday morning TV. While I am not allergic to television, I do have some sensitivity to the ‘entertainment’ that plays for laughs from overworked stereotypes. Telly dad is too often the bumbling weekend layabout who misses his children’s school play. Mum is the clean freak and giggly friend to the daughter. The TV brother ...