Bully proof

What can you do to make sure your child doesn't get bullied at school? Find out about "bully proof courses" in your area! Bullying is a major issue for all school children and parents these days and it seems schools or government initiatives are relatively ineffective in dealing with this problem. So it's back to us parents to sort it out - fine. I've recently come across so called "bully proof" courses which a number of martial arts disciplines offer. The courses are based on standard entry level martial arts classes but offer a few elements of how to deal with being bullied specifically.

After attending a number of karate classes I think enrolling your child in a martial arts course will address various aspects at play when it comes to bullying at school.

A dad's point of view - is Glee gay?

There's no doubt that I'm really wading into it with the title of this column. I was reflecting on the end of this season of Glee and the only other television series that I watch regularly, Modern Family. I enjoy both show but do wonder if they have an agenda as to the message they want to put across.

Let me be clear on my stance on homosexuality to eliminate any pre-conceived prejudices you may assume I have or may project on me that are not true. I lost a VERY DEAR friend to Aids back in the day when it first appeared. I worked in showbiz for a quarter-century and loved and interacted with people of all stripes, with equal passion, respect, and collaboration. If they were talented and good people, I loved them. If they were not, I didn’t. Simple.

Long haul air travel with toddlers

Going on a long haul trip (as in 6h+ flight time) with a child aged 18 months to 3 years is probably one of the most challenging travel experience you can have as a parent. Obviously many of us do this but the difference between wanting to fling yourself off the plane and getting a few hours of sleep is all in the preparation. Check out some essential travel secrets for long haul trips with a toddler.

Here's our long-haul survival list (in order of keeping you sane)

#1 The most essential toy for air travel is a Doodle Pad. It's the most versatile, unmessy, imaginative and inexpensive toy you'll ever buy (you can get them for about $10). It's a true life saver as you can draw stuff, erase it and draw some more for quite a while. Most importantly you can use during take off / landing and when passing through turbulent weather (unlike some electronic gadgets).

Countdown calendars

Here's a useful tip to manage motivation and excitement for the little people in your house when you are working towards a particular goal or significant changes in their lives. You can use a "countdown calendar" to count down to the day when the change happens - for example starting school, moving house or an upcoming travel adventure. Countdown calendars work in the same way a Christmas calendar works except that you just count down the number of days (rather than using the days in the month). The easiest way to create a countdown calendar is by starting with a large piece of paper or card board and drawing something relevant on it (e.g. a house, building, plane or place, etc). Make the drawing as large as possible.

Massage - the perfect gift for the whole family on Mothers Day (or any day)

A good therapeutic massage is better than having sex ... seriously, you get touched in places that you cannot reach yourself (unless you're a contortionist). If you haven't had a massage - splash out and experience it for yourself. Tell yourself that you have earned it and that with all the demands on a modern dad (or mom) you deserve a little treat. Try out relaxation, deep tissue, Thai or Swedish massages to experience the bliss of therapeutic massages.

Once you have done that and you know what it feels like to have a massage you can give massages to your kids, babies or your partner. Even if when you're not professionally trained it's still likely to be highly enjoyable for the recipient in your family. What you lack in skill you can make up in enthusiasm and devotion to looking after your family.

Dressify Hall of Fame top contenders

Here are a few recent gems from the Dressify Hall of Fame:

Free life insurance for parents

We have just received the following offer from Sovereign Life Insurance.

To take advantage of this offer you need to go to chooseprecious.co.nz and enter the code "CP125" during the registration process.

Please note: DIYFather does not endorse this company or offer in any way. Parents are encouraged to check terms and conditions of this offer before signing up.

By DIYFather.com

10 Things I wish my parents had taught me ... better

Enough time has passed in my life where I can look back and (mostly) understand the things my parents taught me, or at least tried to teach me, or maybe forgot to teach me as I was growing up. I wish now that I had paid attention and listened to the importance of knowing these things and how they will ultimately shape the person that I have become, or have yet to become. I plan and hope that I will be able to teach these things to my son, so he truly understands the importance of each lesson as he begins his life. Here's my list:

Scotts Weekly Review - Safe and Sound Car Seat

This weeks product review is on Safe & Sound Car Seat, Pyper has just about grown out of her capsule, I'm a bit sad about that as it meant we had to buy another car seat ... so more money down the drain. But once again it's all about safety so there's no excuse really.

We got the Safe&Sound Car Seat as a gift and initially I thought "it's a good looking car seat". Here's what I found:



Pros

• Certified up to a weight of 18kgs
  
• Sturdy with lots of cushions and padding
  
• Pretty dirt resistant from what I can tell

Cons

• Needs hooks in the car to lock the seat in place
  
• Only reclines in the back facing position
  
• Quite expensive
  
• It has a 3 point (6 straps) harness - quite complicated to put on and secure

The million dollar mother's day tip

OK - so Mother's Day is coming up in a number of countries (either the first or second Sunday in May depending on where you live). So you need to get a present for your partner, right? So you don't know what to get, right? Well here's the million dollar trick ... go to pinterest.com find your partner's Boards (yes she will have a pinterest account and she will have created lots of boards). See what she pin'd and repin'd, pick something nice that fits with your budget for Mother's Day and get her that. This is a surefire method for getting her something that she really likes (as opposed to something that she pretends she likes).

Have a great Mother's Day!

-DIYFather.com