Fur babies: substitute child, family asset or living therapy doll? In this blog, we discuss some different views on the rise of the Fur Baby culture.

After months of preparation, the due date for our second baby has finally arrived. In this period of calm before the chaos, let me share a few ways we have been preparing to become parents for two under two.

Towards the end of July, we celebrate World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. This year (2024), the theme is loneliness and references Psalm 71:9 — “Do not cast me off in my old age”.  

Pride is profoundly I-centred. It defends our threatened ego by diminishing the other and consequently puts distance between us. Humility is the foundation of harmony and love between husband and wife. It helps us get the focus off winning and onto each other.

For the last two weeks, Squish has been surrounded by all four of her grandparents. It was the first time Squish had met my mum and dad, who flew in to the United States all the way from Australia.

Who are your marriage role models? The number of couples choosing to get married is plummeting. Good, solid marriages are less common than they used to be. Maybe YOUR marriage has been a role model for others – or maybe you would like to be.

I’d argue that not only are you able to raise incredible kids as a single dad, you’re also uniquely positioned to do it. You have opportunities that two-parent families don’t.

I love this article, published by Time, to help parents like me make the most of these short years we have with our kids: "How to Have a Happy Family – 7 Tips Backed by Research".

When your children have their own children, you get a promotion and join the elite group known as grandfathers. This elevation provides you with a whole new set of responsibilities, opportunities and joys.

I’m a first-time Nonna — however, my relationship with my new granddaughter is a long-distance one (my son and daughter-in-law live in California). But last week, they came home on vacation! I got to hold her tight against my chest and hear her breathe, I got to feel her soft skin, I got to smell her and listen to her voice. I got to look into her big blue eyes — ...

We remember sitting with a young couple who were locked in combat. She was prone to reactive outbursts and he was mystified as to what he was doing to trigger it. As we probed her about her family of origin, the penny dropped: she was repeating a relationship pattern that she had established with her mother. With this new insight, the couple was able to identify her conflict preconditions which equipped ...

Research shows that there are some basic habits that combine to make a winning formula for families with successful, well-adjusted children who will flourish in life. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated,” are the wise words of Confucius. Albert Einstein said it this way: “Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler.” And one final word of wisdom from Steve Jobs is, “Simple ...

In a culture that glorifies youth and sanctions the euthanising of the sick and elderly, it’s easy to lose sight of the gift of seniors. Here are three ways that senior couples make marriage better for all of us. Earlier this year, Pope Francis released a series of homilies on the elderly. Each one explores a theme based on a significant figure in the scriptures, including Naomi, Joachim and Anne, Simeon ...

My wife and I are experiencing (as grandparents) a unique déjà vu. Twenty-four years ago, we experienced with watching concern and anxiousness our daughter’s and now son-in-law’s dating and relating. We are again going through similar ‘pain’ as our number two grand-daughter is living with us, as she undertakes tertiary studies. You’ve guessed it, she and her latest ‘beau’ have announced that they are officially an ‘item’, i.e. a couple. It’s ...

Speaking as a grandfather of twelve grandchildren, I am grateful for having been a father, and now a grandfather. It’s a constant challenge, doing the right thing all the time. I wonder if the grandkids know that saying, ‘Like father, like son’? I’m gradually learning! And how about this one: Q. What’s grander than a dad? A. A grand-dad! ___ William Lackenby, Moss Vale, NSW, aged 76 years. Bill and Joan ...