Blog - More Like the Father

Empowerment in Community

Empowerment is a concept synonymous with our times. We hear a lot about the empowerment of women, teens, and other groups in society. But I’m…

‘Leave them alone and they’ll come home’

When our kids were little, people would say, ‘enjoy them now, because when they’re teenagers …’ Consequently, I had this sense of resignation that when…

The ‘Gift’ of COVID

I was recently talking to the Head of Human Resources for a large organisation about their corporate strategy. During our chat she said something that…

With Us or Against Us? Healthy Disagreement

(5-minute read) In Braving the Wilderness, author Brené Brown says, “In philosophy, “you’re either with us or against us” is considered a false dichotomy or…

Perfectionism – Stealing Children’s Confidence and Responsibility?

(4-minute read) I can be quite ‘particular’; others call it perfectionism. Regardless of what you call it, this sometimes obsessive tendency for things to be…

3 Habits to Develop Healthy Parental Downtime

Parenting involves sacrifice – that’s hardly news to anyone with kids. Whether it’s getting up early on a Saturday morning to take them to their…

Are we living intentionally or are circumstances dictating our future?

(5-minute read) ‘The things I don’t want to do, I end up doing, and the things I want to do, I don’t do.’ Those words,…

Backyard BBQ calling but work is getting in the way? Let’s find our balance.

(2-minute read) Take a bow Australia. According to a 2018 study of 21 OECD countries, Australian parents are world leaders when it comes to spending…

What Teens Can Learn From Making A Phone Call Instead Of Texting

“Just pick up the phone and call them!” I say to my teenagers. They’ve texted one or more of their friends to make plans, and…

Mother’s Day: The Most Important Thing A Father Can Do

‘The most important thing a father can do for his children is…’ How would you finish this sentence? Perhaps you might say, ‘to give them...

4 Lessons About Parenting Teenagers

In several recent blogs I reference experts encouraging parents to keep the channels of communication open with their teens. From dads staying close to their...

Teaching Your Kids About Debt, Gratification & Priorities

Teaching your kids financial skills is one way to set them up for their future. Australian households owe $2.34trillion (as at March 2018), the second...

Dark Days, Grief and Connections

When I was 7, my mum passed away. It wasn’t until some 30 years after the fact, that I was finally able to talk about...

Dads & Their Teenage Daughters

From the day our daughter was born, she’s always held a special place in my heart. From my experience talking to dads and reading numerous...

Social Media P Plates…

In my recent blog on teens and social media I shared that we haven’t yet allowed our teenagers to have their own social media accounts….

The Gillette Ad – We Believe: The Best Man Can Be

They say that any publicity is good publicity. But I wonder if Gillette had any idea of the extent of global reaction when creating their...

Teenagers reflection on self-obsessed Instagram life

A few months ago, I was speaking about teenagers and social media with one of Australia’s most sought-after youth speakers. He speaks to thousands of...

Boy’s Search for Belonging

When you hear the term ‘rites of passage’, do you think about young men diving off crude wooden towers in Vanuatu with vines tied around…

Christmas Survival Tips

Does it feel like Christmas is bearing down on you like a freight train? On top of the gift buying, party planning and house decorating,…

Dining & dashing – why it’s okay…

It has been said that character is ‘who you are when no one is watching’; it’s those things that we do in private, not for…