Hi, I’m Tim Sisarich and just recently I went in search for a couple of sets of cowboy guns for my four-year old boys.

You know, the kind with the wide belt and twin holsters.

I hadn’t gone out of my way not to buy them buy guns up to this point.

Nor do I really have any staunch view of the dangers of boys and guns ... it's just sort of the way it turned out.

So I popped into the local toyshop to discover that the only guns they sold were strange looking space lasers, with flashy buttons, lights and sounds.

They didn’t even look like guns!

To my surprise, they inform me that they don’t stock those sorts of guns ... Nor did any of the other 6 toy stores I went to.

Can you believe that? ... read more >>

So now that we know why the violence is happening we need to do something about it to stop it and here are some ways to do so:

The six primary prevention approaches to reducing child maltreatment have been identified:

• Establish a positive view of children: valuing them in their own right rather than primarily for the manner in which they meet the needs of others, respecting them as individual human beings with rights to protection and gradually increasing levels of autonomy, and understanding that they are exploring and contributing to their social worlds
• Change attitudes and beliefs about physical punishment
• Reduce adult partner violence and educate about the impact of adult partner violence on children
• Address adult alcohol and substance abuse
• Create accessible and responsive support systems that parents can easily engage with
• Provide parent education and child management skills to all parents. ... 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 >>

Sunday March 2nd. 10am – 3pm

Gather up your children and head down to Waitakere City’s annual Toddler Day Out and Great Parenting Fair at Waitakere Trusts Stadium on Sunday March 2nd.

More than 11,000 people attended our previous event and this, the fifth of our annual events, promises to be bigger and better than ever before. There will be something for everyone at this fun event for families.

It is also National Children’s Day on this date, and with its theme of giving our children new experiences, what better way could there be to start the year off?? ... read more >>

A Podcast hosted on International Dad featuring show hosts Scott Lancaster and co-hosts Eric Mooij and Stefan Korn from DIYFather.com.

Scott, Eric and Stefan discuss violence against women day. Does dedicating a day to vioence against women and wearing a white ribbon help?


25th November was White Ribbon Day a day when people all over the world wear a white ribbon to show that they do not condone men’s violence towards women. The 3 hosts approach this difficult topic for many dads from the personal perspective of DIYFather Eric.

Fathers parent differently from mothers and that difference matters greatly for children.
Fatherhood is just as essential to healthy child development as motherhood. In some measures, father-love is more important. The professional journal, Review of General Psychology, finds “evidence suggests that the influence of father love on offspring’s development is as great as and occasionally greater than the influence of mother love.” Fathering expert Dr. Kyle Pruett explains in Fatherneed: Why Father Care is as essential as Mother Care for Your Child, "fathers do not mother." Psychology Today explains, "fatherhood turns out to be a complex and unique phenomenon with huge consequences for the emotional and intellectual growth of children." Erik Erikson, a pioneer in the world of child psychology, explained that father love and mother love are qualitatively different kinds of love. Fathers "love more dangerously" because their love is more "expectant, more instrumental" than a mother’s love.4 A father, as a male biological parent, brings unique contributions to the job of parenting a child that no one else can replicate.

Following are some of the most compelling ways father involvement makes a positive difference in a child’s life. The first benefit is the difference itself. ... read more >>

White Ribbon Day, 25 November, is the international day when people wear a white ribbon to show that they do not condone men's violence towards women.
It was started by a men's movement in Canada in 1991 and has been officially adopted by the United Nations as its International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. www.whiteribbon.com
New Zealand has a high rate of men's violence towards women. In 2004 there were just over 3,100 convictions recorded against men for assaults on a woman and a 2001 national victims of crime study showed that close to one in five women experienced sexual assault or sexual interference at some point in their lives. you can read more on www.whiteribbon.org.nz ... read more >>

The following Media Release was sent to us by a DIYFather.com contributor, Dave Moskovitz.

RELIGIOUS GROUPS TO TACKLE CHILD ABUSE
The Wellington Council of Christians and Jews is holding a public symposium to address the issue of Child Abuse in our communities. Cindy Kiro, the Commissioner for Children, and Lesley Max, chair of the Pacific Foundation will speak on causes and solutions for child abuse, and how faith communities can help prevent child abuse. An open discussion will follow.

Rev John McCaul, the Christian Co-Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews said, "Child abuse within our faith communities has been an unspoken serious issue for a long time, and yet these same faith communities could play a pivotal role in turning the problem around in the wider community." ... read more >>

I have been asked by Scott to write an article for this site as the Police National Family Violence Co-ordinator. So thanks for the opportunity Scott.

Firstly I think it is useful to understand the Police approach. In the not too distant past, Police replicated societal attitudes towards family violence. In practice terms, this meant we also carried the view of " a man's home is his castle" and that family violence was a "private matter".

Thankfully, society and the Police have moved well past these attitudes and our practice in attending family violence events has improved accordingly. That is not to say that we cannot improve further, as we know we can and will. ... read more >>