Happy Father's Day - Warwick Marsh

Happy Father’s Day. Many are getting breakfast in bed, Father’s Day cards and lots of smoochie kisses from their children (as Bandit, the dad in Bluey, would say).

Not only that, most dads will receive their yearly supply of socks and undies all on the one day. Even more exciting is that the new Dads4Kids TV community service ad is being played on TV all over Australia. Watch it below if you haven’t seen it before.

Speaking about our TV ads, I had a very distressing call from a single Dad last Friday who could not see his kids. The mother was making his life hell. He was complaining that our Mother’s Day ads made him feel like killing himself.

I don’t doubt that is the case, but sooner or later we all have to work through our pain, otherwise it will kill us. Make no mistake.

I tried to explain to him that our new Father’s Day ad was meant to replace the Mother’s Day ads and that 85% of our work is supporting fathers. Sadly, to no avail.

He felt that we were betraying the cause of supporting Dads because we were also supporting mothers in their noble calling of mothering. This is something Dads4Kids will never apologise for.

Children need a mother and a father. Children grow up best in the midst of the tension between the masculine and the feminine, as long as that tension is constantly resolved in love.

The best way to resolve this tension for the benefit of your children is to get married and stay married. You as a man need to keep love alive!

Such love will kill you, but what a beautiful way to die! Out of the death of the two in holy wedlock, will come one. Out of that oneness of the masculine and the feminine your children are created, will flourish and become their true selves.

Such is the mystery of marriage. Mothers need fathers, and fathers need mothers, but children need them both.

Speaking about mothers, our Mothers Section of the new Dads4Kids website is flourishing. We have three amazing mothers contributing on a regular basis.

I asked one of these wonderful mothers, Jenny Stephens, to write something for fathers for Father’s Day. I think you will find it both funny and encouraging.

The young boy said in awed tones, “Is it a bird? Is it a plane?… No, it’s my father”. There are numerous types of fathers and dad jokes to suit them. Check out some of my favourites!

The Sporty Dad: Seems to be always in gym clothes. Has a bright cheery attitude to every day. A can-do attitude.

Why did the scarecrow win an award? A. Because he was outstanding in his field.

The Can-Fix-Anything Dad: (or so he thinks): although he may not be qualified, he has every tool you can think of and there is no job too small. It’s the big jobs that are a concern.

The shovel was a ground-breaking invention.

The Executive/Business Dad: Appears as though his mobile phone is a permanent part of his body, attached to his ear. He is also full of pearls of wisdom and insight to life and business.

I’ll call you later. Don’t call me later, call me Dad.

The Funny Dad: Always looking to stir a laugh, many times he is able to stir a cringe.

Our wedding was so beautiful … even the cake was in tiers.

The Stay-at-Home dad: Is there helping the kids get ready for school. Helping little Johnny with his tie and doing little Julie’s hair. Poor Johnny was nearly strangled in the process and Julie looks like Fraggle Rock,

My wife is so negative. I remembered the car seat, the stroller, AND the nappy bag. Yet all she can talk about is how I forgot the baby.

Whatever the type of Dad or however bad the dad jokes, September is the time of year when a dad is honoured for being a superhero.

A man does not become a father because he simply bears a child. A man becomes a father when he displays his masculinity and understands the importance of the life before him. A father stands firm to establish a foundation on which an irrevocable relationship can be built.

I have respect for my husband, James, who is engaged in the artistry of fatherhood and believes in the significance of his legacy.

His legacy is in his children, who carry his name, genes, and characteristics. They are the evidence of his existence, who will testify of the man he is. Friedrich Nietzsche was right to say, ‘What was silent in the father speaks in the son, and often I found in the son the unveiled secret of the father.’

James has a conviction that he is accountable for our young children to help direct them in the way they should grow. I see my children respond to their father with love and admiration.

They see him almost as a perfect figure who is boundless in ability and holds an unconditional amount of their affection, someone they can trust. Trusted and admired, not only because he usually says ‘Yes’, when I say ‘No’, but because in his ‘Dad Style’ conveys his conviction with encouragement and love. He cares enough to urge them to live a life that is right.

Fathers are crucial in every child’s life. They are the head to a home that provides safety, strength, and security within the household. They are the role model of a man to their sons and daughters.

Fathers are the pride of their children. So Happy Father’s Day to the fathers of Australia!

So that, my friends, is why Dads4Kids will always support mothers. Who could have said it better? Mothers need fathers, and fathers need mothers, but children need them both.