Received: from beru.its.uow.edu.au (130.130.68.31) by staffmail.uow.edu.au (10.5.102.13) with Microsoft SMTP Server id 8.1.291.1; Sun, 7 Sep 2008 09:16:19 +1000 Received: from febris-nat.its.uow.edu.au ([130.130.68.210] helo=febris.its.uow.edu.au) by beru.its.uow.edu.au with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Kc70t-0006cU-Ju for blane@uow.edu.au; Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:16:19 +1000 Received: from c3.confirmedcc.com (c3.confirmedcc.com [64.95.77.164]) by febris.its.uow.edu.au (MOS 3.8.7a) with ESMTP id NTF70632; Sun, 7 Sep 2008 09:16:15 +1000 (EST) Received: from p1-ws208.ad.prodcc.net (unknown [10.250.0.101]) by c3.confirmedcc.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 080BB23001D for ; Sat, 6 Sep 2008 19:16:13 -0400 (EDT) From: Fatherhood Foundation To: Brian Lane Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 09:16:13 +1000 Subject: Mathew Hayden Goes into Bat for Dads4kids Thread-Topic: Mathew Hayden Goes into Bat for Dads4kids Thread-Index: AckQdpJmOZHjkTm2TXOr0AbJ2NEWcA== Message-ID: <1102221058371.1101938345415.1211.8.117191502@scheduler> List-Unsubscribe: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?p=un&v=001jm8CFGIzLJHYg-gJRLc-3d90mBLDU8yk2exKAAqSDlithr_ru7CUZQ== Reply-To: "info@fathersonline.org" Accept-Language: en-AU, en-US Content-Language: en-US X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthAs: Anonymous X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthSource: excasht01.ad.uow.edu.au X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: x-junkmail-status: score=10/49, host=febris.its.uow.edu.au x-junkmail-sd-raw: score=unknown, refid=str=0001.0A090209.48C30F43.0107:SCFMA772204,ss=1,fgs=0, ip=64.95.77.164, so=2008-05-01 23:44:25, dmn=5.7.1/2008-09-02 x-junkmail-iwf: false x-return-path-hint: ESC1102221058371_1101938345415_1211@in.confirmedcc.com x-roving-id: 1101938345415.1211 x-lumos-senderid: 1101938345415 x-roving-campaignid: 1102221058371 x-roving-streamid: 0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="_000_1102221058371110193834541512118117191502scheduler_" MIME-Version: 1.0 --_000_1102221058371110193834541512118117191502scheduler_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/11.jpg?a=3D11= 02221058371] 8th September 2008 Inspiring Fathers Encouraging Families Issue 316 [http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/people3_header= 1.jpg] Matthew Hayden Goes into Bat for Dads4kids Dear Brian, Welcome to the Fatherhood Foundation newsletter and email information servi= ce for fathers and families as we present Matthew Hayden going into Bat for= Dads In This Issue Frontline...Fathers Day Celebrations Laughter.. Cricket jokes Grandfathers...The Best Dads Single Dads...The Role of Fathers All You Need is Love..Life Saviing Marriage Special Feature...Interview with Matthew Hayden News & Info..News Links for Parents Dad's Prayer..Learn Laughter Next Week Fatherhood - Seven Secrets for Success Join our Mailing List! [http://img.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ftf_btn_1.gif] Quick Links Fatherhood Foundation Family Law Web Guide National Fatherhood Institute National Marriage Coalition Camp Connect Men's Katoomba Convention Fathersafterdivorce.com Steve Biddulph Bruce Robinson CSA Adverts Thought of the Week [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/404.jpg?a=3D1= 102221058371] How to be a Good Dad Firstly: is spending time. Nothing replaces that. Secondly: is having fun in the areas that you enjoy. Thirdly: is just loving your family. Enjoy spending that time around your family. Give back to your family as much as you can. Matthew Hayden [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/398= .jpg?a=3D1102221058371] Link of the Week Cricket in Alaska Frontline [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/396.jpg?a=3D1= 102221058371] Father's Day is being celebrated in Australia with a renewed sense of vigou= r and excitement. Fathers and children are appearing in more advertisements= . Print media are running father-friendly stories along with both TV and ra= dio. These days restaurants are booked out for Father's Day as well as Moth= er's Day. I believe we are at the beginning of a Fatherhood Revolution. When the Fatherhood Foundation was formed in 2002 to help and encoura= ge Australian dads, their television community service adverts (CSAs) were initially threatened with a black-ban= by the Advertising Standards Board. Political correctness ruled the day an= d fathers were an endangered species. This would not happen today. A recent= headline in an Australian paper said that fatherhood had become sexy. Look= ing at popular culture it is hard to disagree with this statement. Fatherhood is under renovation and the refurbishment is well underway. More= than likely it will appear on a screen near you. Movies with strong father= hood and family themes are now commonplace. Australia even has its own Fath= erhood Festival in Byron Bay. The home of counterculture is now the ho= me of fatherhood. Putting family first has become more than the name of a p= olitical party. Just like the 60s counterculture, it has the beginnings of = a revolution. Australian author Steve Biddulph has been a trail b= lazer for the Australian fatherhood and men's movement for many years and will be the speaker at this year's Fatherhood= Festival. Australia's greatest fatherhood author Dr Bruce Robinson has just released his brilliant new book, Daughters and their Dads, in time= for Father's Day 2008. The Fatherhood Foundation has produced television CS= As every Father's Day. For Father's Day 2008, Matthe= w Hayden, one of Australia's most famous cricketers,= was pleased to go in to bat for Aussie dads and their children. Matthew Ha= yden has fronted the Dads4Kids TV CSAs which are currently being = seen all across Australia. Dads4Kids is an initiative of the Fatherhoo= d Foundation, to involve the whole community, and help Aussie children get = a fair go in life. Did you know that? - =B7 A child is abused every 13 minutes in Australia. =B7 In 2003 there were 40,416 substantiated child abuse cases in Aust= ralia. =B7 Reports of child abuse have more than doubled over the last decad= e. =B7 23% of children who are physically abused become juvenile offende= rs. =B7 2/3rds of all sex crimes are committed against our children. =B7 14.7% of Australia's children live in poverty. =B7 More than half of Australia's youth have been touched by suicide. =B7 1 in 6 young people (12-17 years) have seriously thought of endin= g their life by suicide. =B7 Almost half of Australia's homeless people are children or young = people. =B7 Homelessness is closely linked with family breakdown and fatherle= ssness. =B7 Between 20-35% of young people are involved in alcohol, cigarette= s or drug abuse. =B7 1 in 5 children are overweight or obese. =B7 Childhood obesity is increasing in epidemic proportions and is a = major contributor to bad health outcomes for our children. =B7 One of the issues that worry children the most is the divorce or = separation of their parents. The Fatherhood Foundation believes that fatherlessness is a major contribut= or to the problems our children face. Dr Bruce Robinson says that Fatherles= sness costs Australia 13 billion dollars per year. Fatherlessness increases= the likelihood that children will grow up in poverty, increased crime, dru= g abuse, youth suicide, child sexual abuse, mental health problems, levels = of child obesity, poor health, poor nutrition and lower levels of education= al performance for children. In spite of what radical feminists may say abo= ut the ills of patriarchy, involved and loving fathers are foundational for= the development of healthy children and strong families. [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/399.jpg?a=3D1= 102221058371] Matthew Hayden is asking Australians for ideas on how to solve these proble= ms. Dads4Kids is all about getting the whole community involved in a n= ational conversation on how best to help our children. Dads4Kids is in the = process of engaging a top team of judges to make an independent assessment = on the many ideas that are submitted in the Dads4Kids Competition.= We look forward to implementing some great ideas to help Aussie children. Australia's children ARE Australia's future. Australia's children will be the first to benefit from a Fatherhood Revolut= ion. Matthew Hayden is the epitome of the renewal of fatherhood that is taking p= lace in Australia today. Warwick Marsh of the Fatherhood Foundation asked Matthew how he felt when h= e had his first child and how he now feels as a father of three children. There's nothing that replaces the moment of joy in your life when you have = children. As a male I think you actually go through a bit of a chest beatin= g stage. It's like, 'Gees, I've produced this beautiful baby, I'm a man.' I= t actually physically does change you as well because suddenly it's not jus= t your wife and you. It's a very unselfish thing, you've now got this beaut= iful little individual and life, that you have to care for and nurture and = you become very self-less and that's a difficult time in your life, but loo= k, whatever you put into life, you get back ten fold. With our three beauti= ful children, it's just amazing how they give back to you in such simple bu= t such rewarding ways. I wouldn't change one damn thing. Lovework Matthew Hayden's full interview is this week's Special Feature. Matthew Hayden's passion for his family is inspirational and it is men like= Matthew Hayden, all across Australia, who are arresting the harmful effect= s of fatherlessness by their love and commitment to their families. A fatherhood revolution will mean many more involved, committed and respons= ible fathers. A fatherhood revolution will bring support and joy to hardworking mothers a= nd help our children lead exceptional lives. Join the fatherhood revolution= by becoming the change you seek. Yours for the revolution Warwick Marsh PS We encourage all our readers to enter the Dads4Kids Competition. Full de= tails can be found at www.dads4kids.org.au . Please let your friends k= now about the competition. Our children need opportunities to lead an excep= tional life. Dads4Kids is all about starting a national conversation on how= to best help our children. Give us your ideas because together we can make= a difference. ____________________________________________________________________ Warwick Marsh has been married to Alison for 32 years. He is the grandfath= er of two children and father of five children, four boys and one girl, ran= ging in age from 27 years to 15 years. Warwick is a musician, songwriter, = producer and public speaker who likes to think he can still laugh at himsel= f. Laughter The businessman was talking to his friend on the train home after a hard da= y. 'What a day I've had,' he said. 'One of the office boys asked for the afternoon off to go to his grandmothe= r's funeral. I thought I was on to him, and went along, too.' 'Good idea,' said his friend. 'How was the match?' 'That's where I lost out. It was his grandmother's funeral!'[http://origin.= ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/380.jpg?a=3D1102221058371] ___________________________ The ball had been knocked out of the ground into the lane and everybody was= out looking for it. One of the players came across an old tramp, lying in = the shade. 'Excuse me' said the cricketer, 'but have you seen a cricket ball?' 'No, I = haven't,' replied the tramp. 'But I've brought one from home I could sell you!' ____________________________ During the local match, a spectator was surprised to see a dog walk onto th= e pitch and start bowling off breaks, eventually taking four wickets for ei= ghteen runs. 'That's incredible!' he exclaimed to the man next to him. 'Yes,' he said, 'but he's a terrible disappointment to his parents. They wa= nted him to be a footballer.' Grandfathers [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/395.gif?a=3D1= 102221058371] Fathers who are kids at heart make the best dads. Anon Single Dads The Role of Fathers as Models for Their Children[http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/110= 1938345415/img/394.jpg?a=3D1102221058371] Fathers Day is just around the corner. How many fathers will again this yea= r not see their children on what is the most important Sunday for most dads= because of vindictive mothers and the Courts that do not make mothers comp= ly with the courts own access orders? This ignores the rights of fathers an= d the children to maintain their dads in their lives. Fatherhood has been with us since the beginning of time, yet every day we w= itness somewhere the denigration of fatherhood by individuals who are pushi= ng their own barrow for selfish gain. Dads have always been and should always be a part of their children's lives= , as children need their fathers to guide them through life and teach them = different things as they grow towards manhood. Dads are role models for the= ir children - something that no one else, not even the mother, can be. Studies have found that in 5% of cases where children are growing up withou= t a dad (especially in many single mother families) they are more likely to= do poorly at school, to be in trouble with the law, and/or use drugs, etc,= compared to 1% in a father-headed family. Our laws discriminate against fatherhood. Since the Family Law Act came int= o existence in 1975, mothers have won custody of the children in 83% of all= custody disputes, even when there was proof that the father was the better= parent for the children. The father would in most cases be given access or= ders by the court, but the other parent would deliberately disobey the cour= t order and not allow the father access. The only option left for the fathe= r has been to take out a contravention order, which will often cost $5,000-= $6,000 dollars or more, but the court in most cases would not enforce the = orders they made. We have seen as many as 23 contravention orders resulting from the activiti= es of one parent, yet the court never punished that parent. It cost one fat= her over $100,000, he still never got to see his children and had to walk a= way, and it affected him so badly that he took his own life. There are hundreds of thousands of cases like the above. Sadly many of thes= e dads take their own lives through frustration at a biased system which pr= events them sharing in their children's lives. As mentioned earlier, there are those individuals who will do anything to t= ry and destroy the natural rights of fatherhood, but they will never fully = succeed. Barry Williams National President Lone Fathers Association (Australia) Inc. 12 August 2008 All You Need is Love From Cancer to Heart Disease, the Amazing, Life-Saving Benefits of Marriage By Roger Dobson 26th August 2008 The Daily Mail (UK)[http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/f= s007/1101938345415/img/393.jpg?a=3D1102221058371] So-called 'smug marrieds' may actually have a scientific basis for extollin= g the benefits of stepping down the aisle. New research shows that not only does having a good marriage keep you healt= hy, it can also prolong life by up to five years. It's long been reported that those in a good relationship have a lower risk= of high blood pressure, but now studies are finding that couples enjoying = wedded bliss seem to experience lower levels of heart disease, cancers, flu= , Alzheimer's, depression and stress. They also have fewer illnesses and infections, and when they do get ill the= y spend less time in hospital and recover more quickly. Exactly how these benefits are brought about is still not clear, although t= here are a number of theories. And just how beneficial tying the knot can b= e can depend on whether you are male or female and how happy your relations= hip is. Here we look at how scientists believe marriage may play a part in our expe= rience of some of the most common medical conditions. PROSTATE CANCER Men diagnosed with prostate cancer survive longer if they are married, acco= rding to a study by the University of Miami based on 146,979 patients. Average survival time for married men was 69 months compared with 38 months= for separated and widowed patients, after taking into account differences = in age, the stage of the disease and the type of treatment. One explanation is that companionship and all that flows from a happy relat= ionship makes longer survival more likely. Another theory is that married m= en are likely to have sex more frequently, which has been shown to be assoc= iated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. ALZHEIMER'S Married people, and others who live with partners in middle age, have a 50 = per cent lower risk of dementia, according to the results of a 21-year stud= y of 1,449 people by Sweden's Karolinska Institutet. The protective effect remained even after allowing for other factors includ= ing education, obesity, occupation, age and gender. People who had been single all their life had a doubled risk of dementia, a= nd divorcees who remained single had a tripled risk. Those widowed in middle age and who did not remarry had a six-times-higher = risk of developing dementia compared with those who re-married. Social relationships are known to be health boosters, as friends are though= t to encourage each other to look after their health and ease depression an= d anxiety. The higher risk for the widowed and divorced also may be linked to the stre= ssful effects of losing a partner and that, in turn, could increase vulnera= bility to disease. FLU Influenza may seem a very real phenomenon in many married households, but t= hose who have stepped down the aisle officially have a lower risk of flu th= an their single counterparts. Research at the University of Birmingham based on 184 people showed there w= as a greater antibody response to the flu vaccine in married men and women,= possibly because their immune systems were more effective. HEART DISEASE Not only is the risk of heart disease lower in married couples, but surviva= l chances are better for them when the disease is diagnosed. Stress - a ris= k factor in heart disease - is thought to be lower in married couples than = their single friends. Research has shown that married men are more likely to exercise and to have= a healthier diet - which both improve heart health. Survival after diagnos= is may also be influenced by lower levels of depression and anxiety among m= arried people. A study at the University of Newcastle, Australia, showed that unmarried me= n were at a higher risk of a heart attack than married men of the same age. And research at the University of Maryland in America showed that married m= en were only half as likely to die during the 10 years after a diagnosis of= a heart problem as unmarried men. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh also found that men in happy ma= rriages have less thickening of the arteries. One theory is that lower levels of stress in marriage may be protective, wh= ile another is that people in relationships, especially happy ones, are mor= e likely to have healthy diets and lifestyles. BLOOD PRESSURE How your blood pressure is affected by marriage depends very much on the st= ate of your relationship. Married men and women have lower blood pressure if they have a good relatio= nship with their spouse, according to a study at George Washington Universi= ty in America. A happy relationship was also associated with less depressio= n and greater satisfaction with life. But unhappily married couples had higher blood pressure than single people. The suggestion is that people in happy relationships are less stressed, and= it is known that stress increases blood pressure. WOUND HEALING If you cut your finger making the evening meal tonight, your wound is likel= y to heal much faster if you are happily married than if your relationship = is in trouble. Research at Ohio State University College of Medicine, based on married cou= ples aged 22 to 77, showed that wounds healed 40 per cent more slowly in pe= ople in an unhappy relationship. Differences in the body's immune system responses may be responsible, but h= ow a happy marriage affects that is not clear, although lower levels of str= ess may be implicated. DEPRESSION Men and women who are divorced, widowed or who have never married have high= er levels of depression, and have lower physical activity than those who ar= e married, according to a study based on 2,000 twins at the University of S= outhern Denmark. Another study at Ohio University showed that depressed people who remarried= were less depressed than those who stayed single. The researchers claim being married boosts mood and gives stability, wherea= s single people are more prone to loneliness, a cause of depression. Married people also have the lowest rates of suicide, according to an Itali= an National Institute of Health study. Those most at risk are divorced and = separated men and women under 64. One possibility is that companionship leads to a sharing of problems which = then seem more in perspective. MORTALITY Several studies have shown that being married can extend life, especially f= or men. Estimates of the additional years range from one to five, but most = show that for men the effect is considerable. But the news is not always so clear cut for women, who do not seem to gain = as many benefits from their partnerships. A Chicago University report says that married men live, on average, 10 year= s longer than unmarried men, and married women live about four years longer= than single women. One theory is that married men live longer because they adopt less risky an= d more healthy lifestyles. Married women may live longer due to improved co= mbined financial well-being. But one Swiss study suggests that being married may shorten a woman's life = by more than a year. While they found that marriage helps husbands to live on average an extra 1.7 years, it knocks 1.4 years off the average woman. Just why is not clear= , but one theory is that it may be due to the stress of living with a man. AND THE BAD NEWS One of the few downsides of marriage is weight gain. Special Feature Interview with Matthew Hayden[http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/11= 01938345415/img/392.jpg?a=3D1102221058371] There's nothing that replaces the moment of joy in your life when you have = children. As a male I think you actually go through a bit of a chest beating stage. I= t's like, 'Gees, I've produced this beautiful baby, I'm a man.' It actually= physically does change you as well because suddenly it's not just your wif= e and you. It's a very unselfish thing, you've now got this beautiful littl= e individual and life, that you have to care and nurture and you become ver= y self-less and that's a difficult time in your life, but look, whatever yo= u put in in life you get back ten fold. With our three beautiful children, = it's just amazing how they give back to you in such simple but such rewardi= ng ways. I wouldn't change one damn thing. It's a difficult balance you strike as a professional athlete the reality o= f it is that because you are removed from your family roughly 10 out of 12 = months in the height of periods of time. So the work-place to family-life i= s an unnatural balance. I guess the way that our family has tended to deal = with it: firstly my wife Kellie has been amazing in bringing the kids to di= fferent parts of the world so you get that little bit of time in that worki= ng environment but then I think it is being able to just lock ourselves awa= y in places like Stradbroke and just whatever time that we have had at home= is purely about quality time with our children. There's no real story behind the Alligator business (the game I play with m= y children) other than it looked like a whole lot of fun when I started to = have a bit of a kip one afternoon. Grabbing the kids, and that sort of susp= ense element, like we all know even as adults in suspense films, kind of ge= ts you and it always creates a giggle. I think one of the great parts about= being a parent is the fact that you can always laugh with your kids. The kids and I just love getting amongst it. We're very lucky living in Que= ensland that we've got an opportunity to always be outside. There's no real= rules in our house with regards to watching TV or being on computers or wh= atever but generally speaking as a dad, where I like to be the most, is out= of the house. I think just the little skills that you can pick up bring ba= lance. My daughter has had a scooter since she was about 13 months old and = I remember always in Kensington on the Ashes Tour picking up this little sc= ooter, little three-wheeled scooter, the micro scooters, and we were just f= lying around through the streets of London. She was holding hands. It has a= little joystick so she could go in and out of the walking traffic. That's = been a real hand-me-down to other scooters. So now my one year old is getti= ng his balance and getting going on it and it's just a great way that we ca= n have fun together. That leads into the water sports. I absolutely love su= rfing so I'm kinda hoping that Nippers and so on will happen and that as th= e kids grow they will start to really enjoy the water as well. Surfing is a= big part of my life. Stradbroke is the most phenomenal place on earth and it's in our back yard = here. 20 km offshore from Brisbane is a paradise that exists to very few. T= he whales come past, back and forth, right in your back yard. It has great = fishing grounds. Straight off the back yard I can drop a line in and catch = several species of fish including blue water species. More than anything I = think it's about being able to lock away some time. I think nothing can rep= lace the actual physical time that you spend with your kids and we're all i= ncredibly busy people. We seem to becoming a lot more busier in life as a n= ation but I think just having that physical time whether it be to go out th= e back yard and teach your children how to tie a knot or catch a fish or go= into the kitchen and realize that pancakes, they're not that hard, it's ju= st an egg and some flour, straight in the pan and bobs-your-uncle. Just to = get that kind of tangibility with regards to what people are doing and what= you do in your own life. So that physical time is a great opportunity at S= tradbroke and for me, just to really surround myself in the environment. Ev= ery second of the day is another lesson whether it be moon phase, or tide p= hase or water conditions, what fish are biting, surf conditions, something = which you can communicate which is a living thing, rather than, there's the= TV, thanks for coming, you leave your kids and you're off and doing your o= wn thing. [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/400.jpg?a=3D1= 102221058371] I think how to be a good dad is: Firstly: spending time, nothing obviously replaces that. Secondly: is having fun in the areas that you enjoy, so that you've got a n= atural gravitation towards a certain activity. I think the third thing is just love your family. Enjoy spending that time = around your family. Give back to your family as much as you can. In simple = ways whether that be cooking food, creating opportunities to have fun in th= e outdoors, snuggling up on the lounge. One thing about kids, right across,= in every nation that I've ever toured to, is that they're very tactile, ve= ry physical and very tactile and to have a hug from a child is by far the b= est thing in life. To view CSAs with Matthew Hayden go to: www.dads4kids.org.au News & Info [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/75.jpg?a=3D11= 02221058371] Mums stay home or baby's brain suffers MOTHERS should be paid to stay at home with their child for the first two y= ears or their baby's brain won't develop properly, the New South Wales Comm= issioner for Children and Young People said. Dads struggle for flexibility in the workplace More than one third of men were working longer than 45 hours per week with = fathers of young children likely to work longer hours, Childcare for babies is Abuse Ms Fox, a children's literacy advocate and author of the best-selling Possu= m Magic, said she believed society would look back on the trend of allowing= babies only a few weeks old to be put into childcare and wonder, "How coul= d we have allowed that child abuse to happen?". [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/1101938345415/img/403.jpg?a=3D= 1102221058371] Media Release Matthew Hayden Goes into Bat for Dads4Kids Matthew Hayden, one of Australia's greatest cricketers and well known fathe= r of three has opened the batting for Australian children. Matthew believes= that Australian children need our help. You might well ask, "Why do our ch= ildren need help?" Did you know that? - =B7 A child is abused every 13 minutes in Australia. =B7 In 2003 there were 40,416 substantiated child abuse cases in Austr= alia. =B7 Reports of child abuse have more than doubled over the last decade= . =B7 23% of children who are physically abused become juvenile offender= s. =B7 2/3rds of all sex crimes are committed against our children. =B7 14.7% of Australia's children live in poverty. =B7 More than half of Australia's youth have been touched by suicide. =B7 1 in 6 young people (12-17 years) have seriously thought of ending= their life by suicide. =B7 Almost half of Australia's homeless people are children or young p= eople. =B7 Homelessness is closely linked with family breakdown and fatherles= sness. =B7 Between 20-35% of young people are involved in alcohol, cigarettes= or drug abuse. =B7 1 in 5 children are overweight or obese. =B7 Childhood obesity is increasing in epidemic proportions and is a m= ajor contributor to bad health outcomes for our children. =B7 One of the issues that worry children the most is the divorce or s= eparation of their parents. For these reasons the Fatherhood Foundation is asking Australians to help D= ads4Kids with their ideas on how to solve these problems.Dads4Kids= is an initiative of the Fatherhood Foundation, a harm preve= ntion charity. Matthew Hayden has this to say about his children and the Dads4Kids Competi= tionCompetition on the three community service announcements curre= ntly being aired across Australia on national TV. Nothing beats spending time with my family. It's always great racing scoote= rs in the driveway with my children or playing backyard cricket. I love my = kids but not all children have equal opportunities. Dads4Kids wants to help= all Aussie kids get a 'fair go' in life. They're running a competition to= get all your best ideas. The top three winners will get $1000 each. Go onl= ine now to dads4kids.org.au for competition details and enter now. View Community Service Announcements at: http://www.dads4kids.org.au/Media For more information and interviews: Warwick Marsh Fatherhood Foundation Ph: 02 4272 6677 Mob: 0418 225 212 info@fatherhood.org.au = www.fatherhood.org.au www.dads4kids.org.au Dad's Prayer [http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs007/110193= 8345415/img/401.jpg?a=3D1102221058371] Dear God A great man said, "Learn laughter from little children by thinking their thoughts, dreaming their dreams and playing their games". I have been watching Matthew Hayden playing with his children on YouTube.He really enjoys hanging out = with his kids. It's written all over his face, and his children's faces too. Maybe the Fatherhood Revolution begins when we play with our children? Maybe the Fatherhood Revolution begins when we learn to laugh with our children? Maybe the revolution begins when we become like our children? Now where have I heard that before? Help Us! The Fatherhood Foundation is a Harm Prevention Charity. Fatherlessness and inadequate fathering has been proven to be a source of h= arm. The Fatherhood Foundation helps children by promoting excellence in f= athering. Excellent fathers are in word and deed: responsible, involved, pr= otective, loving and committed to the well-being of their children and thei= r children's mother. If you would like to give financially to the Fatherhood Foundation Public F= und and receive tax deductibility: Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund (Name, address and amount details must be emailed for a receipt for tax ded= uctibility) Westpac Branch Wollongong DONATE ONLINE BSB: 032 695 A/C: 25-5558 Or mail cheque and address details to: PO Box 542 UNANDERRA NSW 2526 AUSTRALIA The Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund is a public fund listed on the Regis= ter of Harm Prevention Charities under Subdivision 30_EA of the Income Tax = Assessment Act 1997. You have received the fathersonline.org newsletter because you have subscri= bed, or you have been subscribed by a friend. If you do not wish to receiv= e future emails, please click the UNSUBSCRIBE button below. Forward email [http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/safe_unsubscribe_logo.gif] This email was sent to blane@uow.edu.au by info@fathersonline.org. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(tm) | Pri= vacy Policy. Email Marketing= by [http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/cc-logo-color-sm.gif] Fatherhood Foundation | P.O. Box 542 | Unanderra | NSW | 2526 | Australia --_000_1102221058371110193834541512118117191502scheduler_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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3D"FF
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8th September 2008  &n= bsp;  Inspiring Fathers  Encouragi= ng Families Issue 316
Matthew Hayden Goes into Bat for Dads4kids
Dear Brian,

Welcome to the Fatherhood Foundation newsletter and email inform= ation service for fathers and families as we present Matthew Hayd= en going into Bat for Dads

=09
In This Issue
Frontline...Fathers Day Celebrations
Laughter.. Cricket jokes
Grandfathers...The Best Dads
Single Dads...The Role of Fathers
All You Need is Love..Life Saviing Marriage
Special Feature...Interview with Matthew Hayden
News & Info..News Links for Parents
Dad's Prayer..Learn Laughter
Next Week&nb= sp;
 Fath= erhood - Seven Secrets for Success
 =09 =09
 
Join our Mailing List!
 
=09
Quick Links
 Thought of the Week
 
3D"Matthew
 

How to= be a Good Dad
 
Firstly: is spending= time.
Nothing replaces that.
Secondly: is having fun in the&nbs= p;areas that you enjoy.
Thirdly: is just loving your family.
Enjo= y spending that time around your family.
Give back to your family as m= uch as you can.
 
Matthew Hayden

          3D"Mathew
<= b>Link of the Week


Cricket in Ala= ska 

Frontline
 
3D"Fathers
 
 
 
 
Father's Day is being celebrated in Australia with a renew= ed sense of vigour and excitement. Fathers and children are appearing in mo= re advertisements. Print media are running father-friendly stories along wi= th both TV and radio. These days restaurants are booked out for Father's Da= y as well as Mother's Day. I believe we are at the beginning of a Fatherhoo= d Revolution.
 
When the Fatherhood Foundation was formed in 2002 = to help and encourage Australian dads, their television community service adverts (CSAs) were initially threatened with a bl= ack-ban by the Advertising Standards Board. Political correctness ruled the= day and fathers were an endangered species. This would not happen today. A= recent headline in an Australian paper said that fatherhood had become sex= y. Looking at popular culture it is hard to disagree with this statement. 
Fatherhood is under renovation and the refurbishment is wel= l underway. More than likely it will appear on a screen near you. Movies wi= th strong fatherhood and family themes are now commonplace. Australia even = has its own Fatherhood Festival in Byron Bay. The home of counterculture is now t= he home of fatherhood. Putting family first has become more than the name o= f a political party. Just like the 60s counterculture, it has the beginning= s of a revolution.
 
Australian author Steve Biddul= ph has been a trail blazer for the Australian fatherhood= and men's movement for many years and will be the speaker at this year= 's Fatherhood Festival. Australia's greatest fatherhood author Dr Bruce Robinson<= /a> has just released his brilliant new book, Daughters and their Dads, in time for Fath= er's Day 2008.
 
The Fatherhood Foundation has p= roduced television CSAs every Father's Day. For Father's Day 2= 008, Matthew Hayden, one of Australia's most famous cricketers,= was pleased to go in to bat for Aussie dads and their children. Matthew Ha= yden has fronted the Dads4Kids TV CSAs which are currently being seen all acr= oss Australia. Dads4Kids is an initiative of the Fatherhood Foundation, to involv= e the whole community, and help Aussie children get a fair go in life.
 
Did you know that? -
=B7     &= nbsp; A child is abused every 13 minutes in Australia.
=B7  =      In 2003 there were 40,416 substantiated child abus= e cases in Australia.
=B7       Reports = of child abuse have more than doubled over the last decade.
=B7 &= nbsp;     23% of children who are physically abused bec= ome juvenile offenders.
=B7       2/3rds= of all sex crimes are committed against our children.
=B7  =      14.7% of Australia's children live in poverty.
=B7       More than half of Australia's you= th have been touched by suicide.
=B7     &nbs= p; 1 in 6 young people (12-17 years) have seriously thought of ending their= life by suicide.
=B7       Almost half = of Australia's homeless people are children or young people.
=B7 =       Homelessness is closely linked with family b= reakdown and fatherlessness.
=B7       B= etween 20-35% of young people are involved in alcohol, cigarettes or drug a= buse.
=B7       1 in 5 children are over= weight or obese.
=B7       Childhood obe= sity is increasing in epidemic proportions and is a major contributor to ba= d health outcomes for our children.
=B7     &= nbsp; One of the issues that worry children the most is the divorce or sepa= ration of their parents.
 
 
The Fatherhood Founda= tion believes that fatherlessness is a major contributor to the problems ou= r children face. Dr Bruce Robinson says that Fatherlessness costs Australia= 13 billion dollars per year. Fatherlessness increases the likelihood that = children will grow up in poverty, increased crime, drug abuse, youth suicid= e, child sexual abuse, mental health problems, levels of child obesity, poo= r health, poor nutrition and lower levels of educational performance for ch= ildren. In spite of what radical feminists may say about the ills of patria= rchy, involved and loving fathers are foundational for the development of h= ealthy children and strong  families.=20
 
3D"Matthew
 
Matthew Hayden is asking Australians for idea= s on how to solve these problems. Dads4Kids is all about getting the whole commun= ity involved in a national conversation on how best to help our children. D= ads4Kids is in the process of engaging a top team of judges to make an inde= pendent assessment on the many ideas that are submitted in the Dads4Kids Competit= ion. We look forward to implementing some great ideas to help Aussie ch= ildren.
 
Australia's children ARE Australia's future.
Australia's children will be the first to benefit from a Fatherhood Revolu= tion.
 
Matthew Hayden is the epitome of the renewal of fath= erhood that is taking place in Australia today.
Warwick Marsh of the F= atherhood Foundation asked Matthew how he felt when he had his first child = and how he now feels as a father of three children.
 
There'= s nothing that replaces the moment of joy in your life when you have childr= en. As a male I think you actually go through a bit of a chest beating stag= e. It's like, 'Gees, I've produced this beautiful baby, I'm a man.' It actu= ally physically does change you as well because suddenly it's not just your= wife and you. It's a very unselfish thing, you've now got this beautiful l= ittle individual and life, that you have to care for and nurture and you be= come very self-less and that's a difficult time in your life, but look, wha= tever you put into life, you get back ten fold. With our three beautiful ch= ildren, it's just amazing how they give back to you in such simple but such= rewarding ways. I wouldn't change one damn thing.
 
Lovework
 
Matthew = Hayden's full interview is this week's Special Feature.
 
Ma= tthew Hayden's passion for his family is inspirational and it is men like M= atthew Hayden, all across Australia, who are arresting the harmful effects = of fatherlessness by their love and commitment to their families.
&nbs= p;
A fatherhood revolution will mean many more involved, committed and= responsible fathers.
A fatherhood revolution will bring support and j= oy to hardworking mothers and help our children lead exceptional lives. Joi= n the fatherhood revolution by becoming the change you seek.
 Yours for the revolution
Warwick Marsh
 
PS We encou= rage all our readers to enter the Dads4Kids Competition. Full details can b= e found at www.dads4kids.org.au . Ple= ase let your friends know about the competition. Our children need opportun= ities to lead an exceptional life. Dads4Kids is all about starting a nation= al conversation on how to best help our children. Give us your ideas becaus= e together we can make a difference.   = ; 
 
_____________= _______________________________________________________

Warwick = Marsh  has been married to Alison for 32 years. He is t= he grandfather of two children and father of five children, four boys and o= ne girl, ranging in age from 27 years to 15 years.  Warwick is a = musician, songwriter, producer and public speaker who likes to think he can= still laugh at himself.
Laughter
=
The businessman was talking to his = friend on the train home after a hard day.
'What a day I've had,' he s= aid.
'One of the office boys asked for the afternoon off to go to his = grandmother's funeral. I thought I was on to him, and went along, too.' 'Good idea,' said his friend. 'How was the match?'
'That's where I = lost out. It was his grandmother's funeral!'3D"Funny

___________________________=
The ball had been knocked out of th= e ground into the lane and everybody was out looking for it. One of the pla= yers came across an old tramp, lying in the shade.
'Excuse me' said th= e cricketer, 'but have you seen a cricket ball?' 'No, I haven't,' replied t= he tramp.
'But I've brought one from home I could sell you!' 
____________________________=
 
During the local match, a spectator= was surprised to see a dog walk onto the pitch and start bowling off break= s, eventually taking four wickets for eighteen runs.

'That's in= credible!' he exclaimed to the man next to him.

'Yes,' he said,= 'but he's a terrible disappointment to his parents. They wanted him to be = a footballer.'

Grandfathers
 
3D"Dad&= nbsp;
 
Fathers who are kids at heart make the best dads.
&nb= sp;
Anon
Single Dads
 
 The Role of Fathersas Models for Their Children3D"Father
 
Fathers Day is just around the corner. How many fathers will again this= year not see their children on what is the most important&n= bsp;Sunday for most dads because of vindictive mothers and the Courts = that do not make mothers comply with the courts own access orders= ? This ignores the rights of fathers and the children to maintain thei= r dads in their lives.
 
Fatherhood has been with us si= nce the beginning of time, yet every day we witness somewhere the denigrati= on of fatherhood by individuals who are pushing their own barrow for selfis= h gain.
 
Dads have always been and should always be a part = of their children's lives, as children need their fathers to guide them thr= ough life and teach them different things as they grow towards manhood. Dad= s are role models for their children - something that no one else, not even= the mother, can be.
 
Studies have found that in 5% of case= s where children are growing up without a dad (especially in many single mo= ther families) they are more likely to do poorly at school, to be in troubl= e with the law, and/or use drugs, etc, compared to 1% in a father-headed fa= mily.
 
Our laws discriminate against fatherhood. Since the = Family Law Act came into existence in 1975, mothers have won custody of the= children in 83% of all custody disputes, even when there was proof that th= e father was the better parent for the children. The father would in most c= ases be given access orders by the court, but the other parent would delibe= rately disobey the court order and not allow the father access. The only op= tion left for the father has been to take out a contravention order, which = will often cost $5,000- $6,000 dollars or more, but the court in most cases= would not enforce the orders they made.
 
We have seen as = many as 23 contravention orders resulting from the activities of one parent= , yet the court never punished that parent. It cost one father ov= er $100,000, he still never got to see his children and had to walk away, a= nd it affected him so badly that he took his own life.
 
The= re are hundreds of thousands of cases like the above. Sadly many of these d= ads take their own lives through frustration at a biased system which preve= nts them sharing in their children's lives.
 
As mentioned e= arlier, there are those individuals who will do anything to try and destroy= the natural rights of fatherhood, but they will never fully succeed.
=  
Barry Williams
National President
Lone Fathers Associ= ation (Australia) Inc. 
12 August 2008
 


All You Nee= d is Love
From Cancer to Hear= t Disease, the Amazing, Life-Saving Benefits of Marriage
By Roger Dobson
26th August 2008 The Daily Mail (UK)3D"Marriage
 
So-called 'smug m= arrieds' may actually have a scientific basis for extolling the benefits of= stepping down the aisle.
 
New research shows that not only= does having a good marriage keep you healthy, it can also prolong life by = up to five years.
 
It's long been reported that those in a = good relationship have a lower risk of high blood pressure, but now studies= are finding that couples enjoying wedded bliss seem to experience lower le= vels of heart disease, cancers, flu, Alzheimer's, depression and stress. 
They also have fewer illnesses and infections, and when they= do get ill they spend less time in hospital and recover more quickly.
 
Exactly how these benefits are brought about is still not clea= r, although there are a number of theories. And just how beneficial tying t= he knot can be can depend on whether you are male or female and how happy y= our relationship is.
 
Here we look at how scientists believ= e marriage may play a part in our experience of some of the most common med= ical conditions.
 
PROSTATE CANCER<= /font>  
Men diagnosed with prostate cancer surviv= e longer if they are married, according to a study by the University of Mia= mi based on 146,979 patients.
 
Average survival time for ma= rried men was 69 months compared with 38 months for separated and widowed p= atients, after taking into account differences in age, the stage of the dis= ease and the type of treatment.
 
One explanation is that co= mpanionship and all that flows from a happy relationship makes longer survi= val more likely. Another theory is that married men are likely to have sex = more frequently, which has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of= prostate cancer.
 
ALZHEIMER'S
Married people, and others who live with partners in midd= le age, have a 50 per cent lower risk of dementia, according to the results= of a 21-year study of 1,449 people by Sweden's Karolinska Institutet.
 
The protective effect remained even after allowing for other f= actors including education, obesity, occupation, age and gender.
 = ;
People who had been single all their life had a doubled risk of deme= ntia, and divorcees who remained single had a tripled risk.
 
Those widowed in middle age and who did not remarry had a six-times-highe= r risk of developing dementia compared with those who re-married.
&nbs= p;
Social relationships are known to be health boosters, as friends ar= e thought to encourage each other to look after their health and ease depre= ssion and anxiety.
 
The higher risk for the widowed and di= vorced also may be linked to the stressful effects of losing a partner and = that, in turn, could increase vulnerability to disease.
 
FLU
Influenza may seem a very r= eal phenomenon in many married households, but those who have stepped down = the aisle officially have a lower risk of flu than their single counterpart= s.
 
Research at the University of Birmingham based on 184 p= eople showed there was a greater antibody response to the flu vaccine in ma= rried men and women, possibly because their immune systems were more effect= ive.
 
HEART DISEASE
Not only is the risk of heart disease lower in married couples, but = survival chances are better for them when the disease is diagnosed. Stress = - a risk factor in heart disease - is thought to be lower in married couple= s than their single friends.
 
Research has shown that marri= ed men are more likely to exercise and to have a healthier diet - which bot= h improve heart health. Survival after diagnosis may also be influenced by = lower levels of depression and anxiety among married people.
 A study at the University of Newcastle, Australia, showed that unmarrie= d men were at a higher risk of a heart attack than married men of the same = age.
And research at the University of Maryland in America showed that= married men were only half as likely to die during the 10 years after a di= agnosis of a heart problem as unmarried men.
 
Researchers a= t the University of Pittsburgh also found that men in happy marriages have = less thickening of the arteries.
 
One theory is that lower = levels of stress in marriage may be protective, while another is that peopl= e in relationships, especially happy ones, are more likely to have healthy = diets and lifestyles.
 
BLOOD PRESS= URE
How your blood pressure is affected by marriage de= pends very much on the state of your relationship.
 
Married= men and women have lower blood pressure if they have a good relationship w= ith their spouse, according to a study at George Washington University in A= merica. A happy relationship was also associated with less depression and g= reater satisfaction with life.
 
But unhappily married coupl= es had higher blood pressure than single people.
The suggestion is tha= t people in happy relationships are less stressed, and it is known that str= ess increases blood pressure.
 
WOU= ND HEALING
If you cut your finger making the evening m= eal tonight, your wound is likely to heal much faster if you are happily ma= rried than if your relationship is in trouble.
 
Research at= Ohio State University College of Medicine, based on married couples aged 2= 2 to 77, showed that wounds healed 40 per cent more slowly in people in an = unhappy relationship.
 
Differences in the body's immune sys= tem responses may be responsible, but how a happy marriage affects that is = not clear, although lower levels of stress may be implicated.
 DEPRESSION
Men and women = who are divorced, widowed or who have never married have higher levels of d= epression, and have lower physical activity than those who are married, acc= ording to a study based on 2,000 twins at the University of Southern Denmar= k.
 
Another study at Ohio University showed that depressed = people who remarried were less depressed than those who stayed single.
 
The researchers claim being married boosts mood and gives stab= ility, whereas single people are more prone to loneliness, a cause of depre= ssion.
 
Married people also have the lowest rates of suicid= e, according to an Italian National Institute of Health study. Those most a= t risk are divorced and separated men and women under 64.
 
= One possibility is that companionship leads to a sharing of problems which = then seem more in perspective.
 
MO= RTALITY
Several studies have shown that being married = can extend life, especially for men. Estimates of the additional years rang= e from one to five, but most show that for men the effect is considerable.<= br /> 
But the news is not always so clear cut for women, who do = not seem to gain as many benefits from their partnerships.
 
A Chicago University report says that married men live, on average, 10 yea= rs longer than unmarried men, and married women live about four years longe= r than single women.
 
One theory is that married men live l= onger because they adopt less risky and more healthy lifestyles. Married wo= men may live longer due to improved combined financial well-being.
&nb= sp;
But one Swiss study suggests that being married may shorten a woma= n's life by more than a year.
 
While they found that marria= ge helps husbands to live on average an extra
1.7 years, it knocks 1.4= years off the average woman. Just why is not clear, but one theory is that= it may be due to the stress of living with a man.
 
AND THE BAD NEWS
One of the few down= sides of marriage is weight gain.
=09

Special Feature

<= /font>
Interview with Matthew Hayden3D"Matthew
 
There's nothing that replaces the moment of joy in your li= fe when you have children.
As a male I think you actually go through a= bit of a chest beating stage. It's like, 'Gees, I've produced this beautif= ul baby, I'm a man.' It actually physically does change you as well because= suddenly it's not just your wife and you. It's a very unselfish thing, you= 've now got this beautiful little individual and life, that you have to car= e and nurture and you become very self-less and that's a difficult time in = your life, but look, whatever you put in in life you get back ten fold. Wit= h our three beautiful children, it's just amazing how they give back to you= in such simple but such rewarding ways. I wouldn't change one damn thing.<= br /> 
It's a difficult balance you strike as a professional athl= ete the reality of it is that because you are removed from your family roug= hly 10 out of 12 months in the height of periods of time. So the work-place= to family-life is an unnatural balance. I guess the way that our family ha= s tended to deal with it: firstly my wife Kellie has been amazing in bringi= ng the kids to different parts of the world so you get that little bit of t= ime in that working environment but then I think it is being able to just l= ock ourselves away in places like Stradbroke and just whatever time that we= have had at home is purely about quality time with our children.
&nbs= p;
There's no real story behind the Alligator business (the game I pla= y with my children) other than it looked like a whole lot of fun when I sta= rted to have a bit of a kip one afternoon. Grabbing the kids, and that sort= of suspense element, like we all know even as adults in suspense films, ki= nd of gets you and it always creates a giggle. I think one of the great par= ts about being a parent is the fact that you can always laugh with your kid= s.
 
The kids and I just love getting amongst it. We're very= lucky living in Queensland that we've got an opportunity to always be outs= ide. There's no real rules in our house with regards to watching TV or bein= g on computers or whatever but generally speaking as a dad, where I like to= be the most, is out of the house. I think just the little skills that you = can pick up bring balance. My daughter has had a scooter since she was abou= t 13 months old and I remember always in Kensington on the Ashes Tour picki= ng up this little scooter, little three-wheeled scooter, the micro scooters= , and we were just flying around through the streets of London. She was hol= ding hands. It has a little joystick so she could go in and out of the walk= ing traffic. That's been a real hand-me-down to other scooters. So now my o= ne year old is getting his balance and getting going on it and it's just a = great way that we can have fun together. That leads into the water sports. = I absolutely love surfing so I'm kinda hoping that Nippers and so on will h= appen and that as the kids grow they will start to really enjoy the water a= s well. Surfing is a big part of my life.
 
Stradbroke is th= e most phenomenal place on earth and it's in our back yard here. 20 km offs= hore from Brisbane is a paradise that exists to very few. The whales come p= ast, back and forth, right in your back yard. It has great fishing grounds.= Straight off the back yard I can drop a line in and catch several species = of fish including blue water species. More than anything I think it's about= being able to lock away some time. I think nothing can replace the actual = physical time that you spend with your kids and we're all incredibly busy p= eople. We seem to becoming a lot more busier in life as a nation but I thin= k just having that physical time whether it be to go out the back yard and = teach your children how to tie a knot or catch a fish or go into the kitche= n and realize that pancakes, they're not that hard, it's just an egg and so= me flour, straight in the pan and bobs-your-uncle. Just to get that kind of= tangibility with regards to what people are doing and what you do in your = own life. So that physical time is a great opportunity at Stradbroke and fo= r me, just to really surround myself in the environment. Every second of th= e day is another lesson whether it be moon phase, or tide phase or water co= nditions, what fish are biting, surf conditions, something which you can co= mmunicate which is a living thing, rather than, there's the TV, thanks for = coming, you leave your kids and you're off and doing your own thing.
 
3D"Matthew
 
I think how to be a good dad is:
Firstly: spending time, nothing= obviously replaces that.
Secondly: is having fun in the areas that yo= u enjoy, so that you've got a natural gravitation towards a certain activit= y.
I think the third thing is just love your family. Enjoy spending th= at time around your family. Give back to your family as much as you can. In= simple ways whether that be cooking food, creating opportunities to have f= un in the outdoors, snuggling up on the lounge. One thing about kids, right= across, in every nation that I've ever toured to, is that they're very tac= tile, very physical and very tactile and to have a hug from a child is by f= ar the best thing in life.
To view CSAs with Matthew Hayden go to: www.dads4kids.org.au  

<= /div>
News & Info
=
 
3D"Couple
 
 
MOTHERS should be paid to stay at home with their chi= ld for the first two years or their baby's brain won't develop properly, th= e New South Wales Commissioner for Children and Young People said.
Dads struggle for flexibilit= y in the workplace
More than one third of men were working longer than 45 hours per week = with fathers of young children likely to work longer hours,
 
 
Ms Fox, a children's literacy advocate and aut= hor of the best-selling Possum Magic, said she believed society would look = back on the trend of allowing babies only a few weeks old to be put into ch= ildcare and wonder, "How could we have allowed that child abuse to happen?"= . 
 
 3D"Dads4Kids"
 
Media Release
Matthew Hayden Goes into B= at for Dads4Kids
 
Matthew Hayden, one of Au= stralia's greatest cricketers and well known father of three has opened the= batting for Australian children. Matthew believes that Australian children= need our help. You might well ask, "Why do our children need help?"
&= nbsp;
Did you know that? -
=B7      A c= hild is abused every 13 minutes in Australia.
=B7   &nb= sp;  In 2003 there were 40,416 substantiated child abuse cases in Aust= ralia.
=B7      Reports of child abuse have m= ore than doubled over the last decade.
=B7    &nbs= p; 23% of children who are physically abused become juvenile offenders.
=B7      2/3rds of all sex crimes are committed = against our children.
=B7      14.7% of Austr= alia's children live in poverty.
=B7      Mor= e than half of Australia's youth have been touched by suicide.
=B7&nbs= p;     1 in 6 young people (12-17 years) have seriously= thought of ending their life by suicide.
=B7    &= nbsp; Almost half of Australia's homeless people are children or young peop= le.
=B7      Homelessness is closely linked w= ith family breakdown and fatherlessness.
=B7    &n= bsp; Between 20-35% of young people are involved in alcohol, cigarettes or = drug abuse.
=B7      1 in 5 children are over= weight or obese.
=B7      Childhood obesity i= s increasing in epidemic proportions and is a major contributor to bad heal= th outcomes for our children.
=B7      One of= the issues that worry children the most is the divorce or separation of th= eir parents.
 
For these reasons the Fatherhood Foundation i= s asking Australians to help Dads4Kids with their ideas on how to solve these= problems.Dads4Kids is an initiative of the Fatherhood Foundation, a harm preventio= n charity.
 
Matthew Hayden has this to say about his child= ren and the Dads4Kids CompetitionCompetition on the three community service a= nnouncements currently being aired across Australia on national TV.
&n= bsp;
Nothing beats spending time with my family. It's always great rac= ing scooters in the driveway with my children or playing backyard cricket. = I love my kids but not all children have equal opportunities. Dads4Kids wan= ts to help all Aussie kids get a 'fair go' in life.  They're running a= competition to get all your best ideas. The top three winners will get $10= 00 each. Go online now to dads4kids.org.au for competition details and ente= r now.
 
View Community Service Announcements at:
http://www.dads4kids.org.au/Media &nbs= p;
For more information and interviews:
Warwick Marsh
Father= hood Foundation
Ph: 02 4272 6677       &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            Mob: 0= 418 225 212
info@fatherhood.org.au        &nbs= p;             = www.fatherhood.org.au   &nb= sp;            =       www.dads4k= ids.org.au


Dad's Prayer

           &nbs= p;       
           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;3D"Laughing
D= ear God
A great man said,
"Learn laughter from little childrenby thinking their thoughts,
dreaming their dreams
and playing= their games".
I have been watching Matthew Hayden
playing with h= is children on YouTube.He really enjoys hanging out with his kids.
It's = written all over his face,
and his children's faces too.
Maybe th= e Fatherhood Revolution
begins when we play with our children?
Ma= ybe the Fatherhood Revolution
begins when we learn to laugh with our c= hildren?
Maybe the revolution begins when we become like our children?=
Now where have I heard that before? 
 
 
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Help Us!

The Fatherhood Foundation is a Harm Pre= vention Charity.
Fatherlessness and inadequate fathering has been pro= ven to be a source of harm. The Fatherhood Foundation helps children b= y promoting excellence  in fathering. Excellent fathers are in word an= d deed: responsible, involved, protective, loving and committed to the well= -being of their children and their children's mother.

 

If you would like to give financially t= o the Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund and receive tax deductibility:

 

Fatherhood Found= ation Public Fund
(Name, address and amount details must be = emailed for a receipt for tax deductibility)

 Westpac Branch Wollongong      &nb= sp;            =   DONATE ONLINE

BSB: 032 695
A/C: 25-5558
 

Or mail cheque and address details to:<= br />PO Box 542
UNANDERRA  NSW&nbs= p; 2526
AUSTRALIA

 

The Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund&n= bsp; is a public fund listed on the Register of Harm Prevention Charities u= nder Subdivision 30_EA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.=

 

You have received the fatherson= line.org newsletter because you have subscribed, or you have been = subscribed by a friend.  If you do not wish to receive future emails, = please click the UNSUBSCRIBE button below.

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3D"Safe
This email was sent to blane@uow.edu.au by in= fo@fathersonline.org.
Fatherhood Foundati= on | P.O. Box 542 | Unanderra | NSW | 2526 | Australia
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