I’ll remember this conversation for the rest of my life. Some conversations are just like that.
It was exactly a week after I made the brave decision to seek better work-life balance, quit my job, work from home and be closer to my kids. I’d just broken the news to my team and work colleagues by email. Continue reading »
We’ve rounded up an eclectic mix of 2016 Father’s Day gift ideas. We’ve selected gifts at a few different price points, so there should be something for everyone on the list. We’ve gone for some stylish treats this year too, because it’s for Dad, and he totally deserves it. Continue reading »
I always vowed to never be like my Dad. I think most boys do, don’t they? Don’t get me wrong, he was a great Dad, a great provider, as generous as they come, and he loved us like crazy. Continue reading »
I have always been taught to tell the truth so here it is…
I have kids. Three of them actually – so that makes me a ‘Dad’ – (apparently). Continue reading »
Charlie can whistle now. He worked it out on his own, more or less. One day, quite by mistake, out came a toot tweet, and he giggled, Hey! Did you hear that? I’d heard it and I knew it was special, this self-making music. Built-in entertainment, and now he’s whistling along to songs, keeping us all amused, and I reckon that’s a step toward a sort of independence he’s not felt yet, and I haven’t felt in six years.
That’s all about to change.
Just over two and a half years ago, I became a single dad with shared care of my then one-year-old daughter. My journey to parenting in ‘1 Player mode’, as I call it (a reference to the ‘1 player mode’ in old school video games), has been the most difficult challenge I’ve ever faced – but it’s taught me a heck of a lot about myself and my capacity to adapt, survive and thrive in these circumstances. As I reflect over the past few years, here are some of the things that I’ve learned: Continue reading »
It’s not that there’s a greater number of us – still just the three – but at least one of us is growing. Of course, we remember the good old times of cuddling the little lump of person, swaddled and helpless and warm on Winter’s nights. Now he’s five and full of sass and vinegar and takes up half the couch of you let him, and hogs the whole blanket, and tells us it’s because he’s growing because he eats his protein and popsicles. Sure enough. Continue reading »
I don’t know whether it’s cliché or a snippet out of a self-help seminar welcome packet, but lately every day feels like a celebration. Continue reading »
I learned the word “Luddite” a few years back when someone remarked that I’m likely one, because I had this suspicious disdain for buzz-whirring gadgets and technology. Could be I’m a grumpy old curmudgeon before my time, but one thing is for sure: when it comes to modern digital machines, I’ve been left behind. I went to the bank today. Continue reading »
