Watching Pyper grow up is both exciting and scary at the same time, recently we have seen her really start to take everything in, today Renee was picking her nose and then Pyper started to touch her nose, tonight I was in another part of the house, and I heard a little girl on the ground crawling, I called out Pyper and before I knew it she was coming through the door and she had a big smile on her face. She also came over to me whilst I was in the kitchen and gave me some tissues, this was really cute as she crawled over to me gave them to me and then i took them from her and then, I gave them back a few minutes later!

The more we speak to her the more she really understands what is going on and what things are all about.

- Scott

I need to start this by making it clear that when God was handing out gifts and talents, the ability of connecting head of hammer to head of nail was missed on me … I am just not that handy around the home.

A fact not missed on my four year olds when I decided to build … ok, attempt to build them a tree house.

Maybe tree house is a bit strong of a word, I mean it’s really just 3 planks of wood nailed to a tree, with 2 bits of a broken surfboard, as a makeshift wall.

But anyway, I’m banging and whacking away, they’re getting more and more excited as their little imaginations see their dad building a grand treetop palace.

For some reason, beyond my construction knowledge, too many nails does not necessarily make something more safe, or more secure … so anyway, as all my efforts were turning to splinters, one of my boys says, you’re not that good at building are you? Not like Popa Al, I mean.” ... read more >>

This week I was reminded that being a father is a priviledge and not a right. I remember thinking that in disgust that violence against children is something that needs to stop and it needs to be stopped ASAP so why isn’t it? Why is violence towards children especially in a small country like New Zealand occurring on an ongoing basis.

I found this article which made me mad and also want to do something about it and addressing it and not sweeping it under the carpet is something that I want to make sure happens.

- Scott

Three children repeatedly beaten with a broom handle were so hungry they had to rummage in rubbish bins, and yet neighbours were too scared to report the cruelty they witnessed.

Kylie Tekani, 30, of Porirua, has been sentenced in Wellington District Court to eight months' home detention after pleading guilty to three charges of cruelty to a child and assault with a weapon. ... read more >>

There is so much worry about child abuse today, that many people are afraid to give their children the loving care they need, for fear of being accused of abuse. A certain amount of sexual play is common in preschool children, and it is easy to confuse a child’s normal sexual behaviour with signs of possible sexual abuse.
Most well adjusted children will customarily pass through several stages of sexual interest and play.

Small babies may discover that touching their genitals can feel good, and can be comforting. As far as they are concerned, it is rather like sucking their thumb or rubbing their nose - they won’t attach any other meaning to these actions. Baby boys may have erect penises when nappies are removed.

Many two-year-olds will show an interest in the way boys and girls urinate, and in the physical differences between the sexes. ... read more >>

There have been countless debates about how to help your kids become happy, healthy, successful people in their own lives. And one effective method of preparing them for their own lives is to give them a heavy dose of the word that not enough kids are getting today. The word?

“No!”

All of you deal with a certain amount of frustration in your everyday adult lives. You’re frustrated at your jobs, in your relationships, and by circumstances that you have no control over. Over time you learn to handle frustration better and to turn it into challenges and opportunities that you can work through.

People who can handle frustration successfully tend to have happier and more successful lives. They learn to be resilient and to appreciate what they’ve accomplished and what they’ve received.

How about your kids? ... read more >>

Activities with children that don’t break the bank can be a struggle for a Part-Time-Dad, as a PTD I am sometimes over keen to please.

However I have learnt it’s not about the money I spend on my children that makes for a great day but rather the quality of time spent with each of my children.

Quality time with my 13 year old son Christian

What to do with a young man who given the chance would be happy to play video games all day?
Easy I don’t own any video games, so what can I do?
With Wellington weather being cold, wet and windy what a better way to enjoy some quality time with my boy, than going fishing. ... read more >>

My daughters, all of two and three years old, think it's the height of comedy to walk up to me, point at my face, and insult me. Really. I'm getting insulted by pre-schoolers, and I blame Bill Cosby.

The girls like to watch Little Bill, a cartoon that Bill Cosby created (and, coincidentally, my cousin Shauna animated for. Shauna was the talent behind those beautiful pictures of Clara and her toy trains last year.) In one particular episode, a new kid who likes to toss around insults comes to Little Bill's school. He walks up to Little Bill and says, "You're a peanut-head!" As an objective observer, I'd have to agree that Little Bill's head is shaped just like a peanut, but that's neither here nor there. Little Bill gets his feelings hurt and his dad shows him how to deal with mean kids. ... read more >>

“One time my kids wanted to surprise me with a good breakfast in bed on Father's Day. They put a cot in the kitchen.”

While fatherhood is a serious business, you cannot deny the fun and craziness involved in it for both the dad and the kids. A father holds a magnificent place on this planet.

A father ocean catfish is a true example of a devoted father. He carries the eggs of his young is his mouth until they are ready to be born, which may take up to several weeks. During that time, he cannot eat a thing!

Penguins are another good example; Father penguins keep on their feet in arctic temperatures for sixty days or more to protect his eggs. He hides them on top of his feet, hiding them with feathered flap. Like the catfish, he cannot eat for the duration of his guard of the eggs. ... read more >>

A great story from our friend Spain Dad about children and their limitless imagination

A child's play was not defined by toys, but by curiosity and imagination

Byron and Lisa are some friends of ours who live in Tanzania, and for many years lived among the Maasai people in Kenya. For a short time, they lived with their kids in Portugal where April and I would visit them once a year before Alleke was born. They would invite us into their family for a few days, and we would spend most evenings around the fire place with a cup of tea, and they would tell us stories from Africa. ... read more >>

People laugh when they see me counting my children in public. It may even go so far as to perpetuate some of the negative stereotypes many have of men as bungling and inept fathers. Guys seemingly overwhelmed at the prospect of having to actually spend time with their children. I don't really care what they think. One of my assigned daily jobs is loss prevention. I'm charged the lives of five wonderful children and my goal each day is to see to it that five wonderful children are safely tucked into their beds at night. ... read more >>