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The Heart-warming Brilliance of “Dad Reflexes” & Why They Show Man At His Best

A 30-something man suddenly turns and hurls himself full-length to yank his toddler from the path of a speeding car. A child tumbling off the back of a horse is plucked from mid-air a second before his head strikes the ground. A small girl on a bike avoids a mouthful of broken teeth when her father

Grieving Alone: The Reality About Men & Miscarriage

Tristan MacManus still remembers the gut-punch of emotion when his wife, Tahyna Tozzi, lost their first baby. “I was heartbroken,” the new co-host of Studio 10 admits. “It literally broke my heart. I'd waited for my whole life to be a father. When Tahyna told me we were having a baby, it was easily the best day of my life.”

Study: Greater Involvement In Your Baby’s Life Boosts Your Mental Health

The first year of a baby’s life is a shit-storm in the most literal sense. Sleep deprivation is unavoidable, you’re more time-poor than ever before, while your relationship with your partner suddenly changes shape. As you’re blearily trying to process all this, you’re rocked by yet another revelati

Old Dog, New Tricks: The Reality About Becoming An Older Dad

Thirty-three is the age that Bon Scott, Vincent van Gogh and Jesus Christ (reportedly) died. But it’s also now the median age of a first-time dad in Australia. All of which means that a significant number of guys are firing out children even later in life. Here, four men talk about the reality of be

The Deeper Purpose Of Dad Jokes

My father once gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget. We were sitting at the back of the bus when an elderly nun clambered on board. Observing her entry, my dad leaned over to whisper in my seven-year-old ear. “Whenever you spot a nun, always make sure you check her footwear,” he said.

Why Furious Styles in Boyz In The Hood Is Hollywood's Greatest Dad

Vincent Vega, Luke Skywalker, Sugar Kane Kowalczyk… There are a lot of magnificent names in cinematic folklore, but “Furious Styles” is surely jostling hard for top spot. The good news? This winning moniker isn’t false advertising either. Playing the pivotal role in Boyz N The Hood, Furious (Laurenc

Movember Conversations Can Help You Support A Mate Who's Struggling

“Mateship” is a concept that’s as fundamentally Australian as drinking cold beer or sniggering at England’s middle order. Long associated with the WW1 diggers, it’s an idea that suggests men providing support for each other during the toughest of times. And thinking up really dumb nicknames.

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Celebrating The Modern Father

This Is Why I Let My Son Wear A Dress

I still remember the first time my son Colin told me he wanted to wear the Elsa costume. I still remember the discomfort I felt. I’d grown up in country Queensland in a highly traditional masculine way. I was the school rugby captain and wanted to play professionally. As a teenager, anything that

Grant Denyer On Monster Truck Crashes & Post-natal Depression

What does a life setback actually sound like? If you had to pick a standard-issue noise, you’d surely go for “BOH-BONG”, the iconic sound-effect you get for a wrong answer on Family Feuds. Grant Denyer concedes it’s a sound that would’ve punctuated his life a lot over the years, and not just becaus

Calvin Klein At Home With ... Rene Vaile

Rene Vaile, 41, works as a photographer and lives on the side of a mountain in Bowral (NSW). When his son, Lou, was born, Rene became a stay-at-home dad for the first year while his partner returned to work. We’re profiling Rene as part of the Calvin Klein At Home Series, celebrating all different

Barry Du Bois Has a Bullet-Proof Mindset. Here's How You Can Get One, Too

Barry Du Bois has got cancer. Unfortunately, it’s not the curable type. Barry, one of Australia’s most well-known DIY experts on the back of his TV work on The Living Room and The Renovators, found out in 2017 he had multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow). At the time of his di

How To Make Working From Home With Kids (A Bit) Less Stressful

THE QUESTION: We live in an apartment with two kids aged 5 and 8. My wife and I are both working from home due to COVID. The combination of homeschooling and trying to get our work done at the same time is a nightmare. There’s no let up all day long from the moment I open my eyes between the k

Why “Exercise Snacking” Is The Workout Solution For Time-poor Dads

Lurking beneath James Newbury’s blond dreadlocks is a mighty athlete. A national CrossFit champion who’s been named “Australia’s fittest man” four times, Newbury finished fifth in last year’s world CrossFit Games. Years of testing himself against psychotically tough competit

Special Forces Commander Bram Connolly: "Fatherhood Is The Ultimate Leadership Test"

“I found commanding high-performing soldiers, Special Forces operators in Afghanistan, a lot easier than raising a three and five-year old,” admits Bram Connolly with a smile. Luckily, he’s not the sort of man to duck a challenge. Bram spent 15 years in the Australian Special Forc

How I Finally Learned To Stop Swearing

Just before dinner, I tiptoe into my youngest son’s bedroom to check if he’s finally asleep. Peeking into his cot, I find him lying awake but happily burbling away so I lean over to make out what he’s saying. “Shit. Oh shit. Shit.” he repeats. “Shit. Shit. Oh shit…” Articulating each syllable

Expert Tactics To Beat The Lockdown Gloom

THE QUESTION: “One of my strategies for getting through life is always to have something to look forward to – even if it’s just catching up with a mate for a beer. But COVID is ruining everything. So far we’ve had to cancel a big family holiday, we’re celebrating birthd

Train Your Brain To Be More Optimistic (You Need To For The Sake Of Your Kids)

COVID-19. Climate change. Your moribund sex life. The shrinking size of Cadbury’s family-size chocolate blocks… There are plenty of reasons to feel downbeat about the state of the planet. But such negativity is often inflamed when you’re the sleep-deprived father of a toddler who’s currently screami

How To Fix A Sexless Marriage: "My Wife & I Have Turned Into Housemates..."

THE QUESTION: I love my wife, but somehow we’ve turned from lovers into housemates. Ever since our second kid arrived – we’ve got a four year old and a two year old – we’ve lost any sort of sexual spark. I was optimistic that being together all the time in lockdown migh

Parent of Triplets Shares Expert Tips For Drinking (A Bit) Less

Looking after small kids is a howling shit-storm at the best of times. Right now though we’re living through some of the worst with COVID forcing us to contend with a host of extra financial, social and domestic problems. So it’s hardly a surprise that a new study shows that more than one in four (2

We’ve All Become “BBC Dad” And That Might Not Be A Bad Thing

You’ll have seen the old clip already. Professor Robert Kelly is being interviewed live on BBC News about South Korean politics. Mid-sentence, just as he’s delivering hard-headed analysis on foreign policy, his daughter bustles in with the lunatic swagger of a typical four-year old. Manfully, the pr

“Family Is My Motivation”: UFC Champ Alex Volkanovski

Inside the Wollongong gym, Alex Volkanovski circles his trainer, throwing elbows and knees with beserk force. The 31-year-old is only just back from surgery on his right hand, after fracturing a metacarpal in his December victory over Max Holloway that saw the Australian crowned UFC World Featherwei

Navy SEAL Jocko Willink: “Your Kids Need To Experience Failure To Contend With The Vicious World That Awaits”

Jocko Willink is an intimidating customer. Weighing in at a 104 kilos of lean muscle, he’s a fearsome man-mountain with a freshly shaven head. He’s also a legend in the Special Operations world. The former Navy SEAL commanding officer led the most decorated special ops unit in the Iraq war (American

Novelist Tim Winton on Fatherhood - "Take It Seriously But Don’t Turn It Into A Fetish"

My old man was a motorcycle cop but didn’t really conform to the stereotype. When I brought friends home from school they  were mortified to see him watching TV in his singlet and uniform trousers while ironing tomorrow’s school tunics and blouses. I think the handcuffs and truncheon hanging off the

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LifeThese TED Talks Will Change The Way You Dad

RelationshipsPhotographer Harold David On Life As a Gay Dad: "I've Not Had One Person Say Anything Negative To Me. Not one."

YouState of Independence: Three Ways to Bring Up Resilient Kids

YouThe Indefensible Position: Why Alcohol-Free Beer (Sometimes) Makes Sense

You“Lately I’m making an effort to just put my phone away” – Chris Hemsworth on the modern challenges of fatherhood

YouThe No.1 Tactic For Long-distance Dads

YouCommando Steve: “When there’s a breakdown in a relationship and then there’s a blended family, yeah, it’s challenging”