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It seems like only yesterday that my wife Jodi and I tentatively left Wollongong Hospital with our twin baby girls. The firstborns for both sides of the family, our beloved daughters Trinity and Eva were (and still are) a wonderful addition to the Marsh and Plain clans.

The years since have been filled with delight, pure joy, a little angst here and there, and plenty of hard yet rewarding work. Along the way, our family has welcomed three younger sisters for Triny and Eva, and we recently celebrated their 18^th birthday — a massive milestone for all of us. As well as being a husband, being a dad is one of the greatest joys of my life.

Author Gretchen Rubin once wrote, “The days are long, but the years are short”. This is the great paradox of parenting – the daily grind, especially during the younger years, can seem never-ending, but our children really do grow up so fast. After more than 18 years of being a dad, I can assure you that Rubin is right.

Celebrating Milestones

Thanks to Triny and Eva’s diligent saving, and some very kind contributions from family and friends, Jodi and I recently helped them purchase their first car, a 2009 Toyota RAV4. Another significant milestone, and it reminded me of my first car. My dad, the wonderful Warwick Marsh, purchased a cream-coloured 1987 Ford Falcon XF and generously gifted it to me.

I loved that car, but sadly, it didn’t always love me. It ran roughly and had its fair share of mechanical issues, but the XF got me from A to B, most of the time. It ran on LPG, which was certainly helpful for my meagre bank account. Jodi affectionately called it ‘the fridge’ due to its large, boxy size, but also because the heater didn’t work on the passenger side, so she froze during wintertime travel. My wife is incredibly patient – I thank God for her every day!

These days, our family’s driveway is starting to resemble that classic scene from the Australian film, The Castle: “Steve, could you move the Camira? I need to get the Torana out so I can get to the Commodore…”

No disrespect to my dad, but the RAV4 is a much better car than my XF ever was. Isn’t that one of the greatest joys of being a father!? We work hard to give our kids the best we possibly can, and by doing so, we help set them up for life.

By celebrating our children’s achievements — whether big milestones or small daily wins — we help foster their self-confidence. Dads have an important role to play in helping to build emotional resilience and reinforcing positive mindsets within our children. Consistently recognising your children’s efforts encourages them to persist through challenges, strengthens the bond with your children, and helps them feel loved and valued.

For the team at Dads4Kids, this past week has been another exciting milestone, with our new look website going live. It’s been a collaborative effort, and big thanks to Jeremy Ham from Wheelhouse Web & Graphic Design for all his great work. The Dads4Kids team, including Jean Seah, Samuel Hartwich and me, will continue making much-needed updates, but our prayer is that the new and improved site will build men, grow fathers, and change generations for many more years to come.

Next year, Dads4Kids will chalk up 25 years of encouraging fathers to help their children be the best they can be. It’s a significant milestone, one we’re planning to celebrate, and I’m so thankful for those who have gone before us. Heroes like my parents, Dads4Kids founders Warwick and Alison Marsh, the great Barry Williams, and the big-hearted Tony Miller inspire me to keep on keeping on.

In this modern world, great dads are needed more than ever, and Dads4Kids will continue flying the flag for fathers.

Lovework

Keep celebrating the milestones! Whether it’s your baby’s first wobbly steps, their first day at high school, or their first car, make sure you celebrate with them. Grandparents can join in the commemorations too!

Dad, do your best to make a big deal of your children’s or grandchildren’s achievements. Your positive impact makes a difference, and the memories will last a lifetime.

Yours for celebrating milestones,
Nathaniel Marsh

PS: There’s much more to do, but it seems a wave of support is slowly building for men and boys. Check out this excellent post from Dads4Kids’ friend David Maywald to find out more. If you’re reading this article online and don’t currently receive Dads4Kids’ free weekly email, please subscribe here.

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