I was recently invited to my first Bar Mitzvah ever. I had heard about these events but didn’t really know what they meant. Fortunately, I got a little briefing from my dear friend (who invited me in the first place) beforehand and the whole event was also blessed with and by a Rabbi who explained what was happening throughout the proceedings.

In the Jewish religion when children reach the age of thirteen they become responsible for their actions, and "become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah." The Bar Mitzvah ceremony is like an ordinary Sabbath service however the boy or girl attending as an adult for the first time is expected to run the service and is also called to read from the Torah. So it’s obviously a pretty special event in a teenager’s life. ... read more >>

Today is a special day - it's Father's Day in NZ and Australia, YAY! But it's also the first anniversary for DIYFather.com as we launched this site on Father's Day 2007. What a year it's been. DIYFather.com now hosts over 750 articles specifically written for dads. Every month the site gets 30'000 visits and more than 40'000 people are listening to our International Dad podcasts.

So a big shout out to all the dads around the world who are reading and writing our articles. This is your site and we are proud to have helped in putting it together. Also a special shout out to the many other father's blogs who are linking to us and have helped us make the site into what it is today with lots of feedback and suggestions. Thanks also to all the organisations who have started working with us over the last 12 months. We have benefitted so much from your experience and help! A special hello also to all the mums contributing to this blog - it's always great to hear from you. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, lots of love to all (our) children without whom we wouldn't be fathers in the first place. ... read more >>

How a Child Learns

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn

If a child lives with hostility, she learns to fight

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy

If a child lives with shame, she learns to feel guilty

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient

If a child lives with encouragement, she learns confidence

If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate

If a child lives with fairness, she learns justice

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith,

If a child lives with approval, she learns to like herself

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Dorothy Law Nolte, 1972

One of the greatest things about being a family is family meals, right? Unfortunately at times we tend to deprioritise cooking (or cooking the more fancy meals) because of all sorts of other things that are going on in our lives. How about remembering those cooking skills this Father's Day by dishing it up for the family!

Recently we've come across a website called "menumade.co.nz" - a great little site that provides meal planning and wholesome recipes for the whole family. It even tells you what to buy and you can specify any food likes / dislikes as well as dietary requirements or allergies. How Cool! In fact we liked it so much that we organised a Father's Day competition with them - check it out here. ... read more >>

Do you get flu jabs for your kids? Yes? No? According to a survey just released by American drug company MedImmune, 44% of all parents in the US have their children vaccinated. So what are the pros and cons?

Flu vaccination seems to be a hot topic at the moment in the country's current political fever as evidenced by the election-themed campaign "Flu Vaccination: Choose Your Administration." It's an effort to increase flu knowledge and empower Americans to take action for their health and the health of their families.

According to the media release by MedImmune, flu vaccination is an important part of the healthcare dialogue. The decision to vaccinate or not is particularly topical as it is the first flu season following expanded flu vaccination recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which now advises that all school-age children get vaccinated against the flu each year. ... read more >>

Over the last few months I had to spend quite a bit of time in doctor's waiting rooms, hospitals and other public places where there was a dedicated play area or toybox for kids. First of all I think it's great that there is an area for kids and that many institutions provide toys to keep the little ones entertained. The downside of this is that many of these toys are in a really sad state - broken, filthy or downright dangerous. Some of them look like they have been there for years without ever being replaced or cleaned. ... read more >>

OK there is a downside to being married to a Spanish woman and living far away from Spain. Sooner or later she wants to go home to visit her family (and quite rightly so). This year though there is a twist to this story - she's taken Noah. Her family haven't really seen him or spent any time with him so it's only fair - but I have to say I really miss them! It's been a week without wife and son, and I've got another 7 to go. Feels like an absence marathon!

So what do you do as a dad without a kid and partner (temporarily thank god) ... do all the things you used to do before you were married and had kids? Yes - and more. I found that keeping busy is a really good way to get through it. On top of that there is catching up with friends - especially the ones who don't have kids. And then there are all those unfinished jobs in the house ... ... read more >>

I just saw a question come through on YEDDA from a mum who was worried about her 2 1/2 year-old who swallowed a coin. Sounds like something that could happen to me and my son ... so I thought let's check this out. It must happen a lot anyway. Over on Yedda there have been 3 responses so far - all of them basically say "watch out but don't worry".

After a bit of Internet research I found out that the swallowing of objects is indeed common amongst children. The main problems in this case are choking (rare) or the coin going down the wrong tube (even rarer) into the respitory tract. There is also a risk the coin gets stuck in the esophagus. ... read more >>

I recently got an email from a reader about the use of cleaning products in the house - YAY, my favourite subject (no, seriously). Don't know about other dads but I keep seeing these ads for all purpose cleaning products in the house that promise to remove 99.99% of all germs. Sounds great, eh? Until you realise that whatever kills 99.99% of all bacteria must be pretty lethal all round. So I'm not sure I prefer my little man to lick a surface with some leftovers from the cleaning product vs picking up the germs that were there naturally. ... read more >>

I've just come across a report published by the Fatherhood Institute (the UK's fatherhood think-tank) called "The difference a Dad makes". This is hands down one of the best reports by any parenting organisation on recent trends in child upbringing. Although it seems the main objective of the Fatherhood Institute is as a lobbying organisation the report is an easy read for everyone. It is a summary of underlying trends and desires of fathers that are becoming ever more apparent.

Some key quotes from the research presented in this report: ... read more >>