No this isn’t a tutorial on how to change diapers, (that article will follow!).

 It is prompted by the return of Winnie the Pooh and friends to our bookshelves.

On the 5th of October “The Return to the Hundred Acre Wood” by author David Benedictus hits the stores.

I don’t know about anyone else but when I heard the news I was both very excited and also very reflective.

A couple of things dawned on me.

Even though I am nearly 30, really I am still a little boy at heart.

I couldn’t help but be taken back to being about 4 and having my mother reading the Winnie the Pooh stories to me, or sitting in front of the fireplace with a beaker of warm milk, whilst watching the Acre Wood stories on the television.

 I realise I was lucky to have a loving childhood,and Pooh for me is reflective of that.

What also hit me was that I am now a father, and everything was coming full circle!

I am getting the chance to share the new Winnie the Pooh stories with my little boy.

We are living in a very stressful, violent and uptight world, and for me the Pooh stories are full of friendship, loyalty, laughter and trust.

What a delightful diversion, for us adults to once again immerse ourselves in that wonderful world, and to share that with our children.

The new writer Benedictus takes the helm after the estate of original author of the childrens favourite A.A.Milne agreed to authorise the first ever sequal to the stories.

Benedictus said all the original characters from the books would be involved in the new stories, and there is also the addition of one or two new characters, namely Lottie the Otter.

I know that “The Return to the Hundred Acre Wood” will definatley be making a rapid appearance to our bookcase at home, the question is who is more excited to read it, me, or my little boy!

 This wonderful book is available right now. Just click below and buy before the rush begins!

Being a father has always had its stresses and difficulties. It seems however in todays struggling economic climate, our job has become even harder. With many people losing their jobs, and those in work wondering whether they will be culled in the near future, the “job for life” is almost a thing of the past. Some companies have even been offering workers a pay cut instead of redundancy. The pressure on fathers in the workplace has become immense.

With so many small businesses being wiped out in their infancy, the prospect of leaving the workplace and working for oneself, is an equally frightening prospect.

Many people are resorting to doing more than one job. This can only affect family life in a negative way. More time spent at work means less time with our partners, less time with our children, and of course little or no time to relax and recharge.

What is the answer?

Surely there must be a way of supplementing our income, without working 24/7, without risking money we already don’t have, and without putting our “shaky” full time job in jeopardy.

At world of Dad we will look at GENUINE opportunities in the world of business, and hopefully deal with one of the biggest worries us Dads face. Financially supporting our family.

Sadly, it appears not a week goes by now, where we do not see some sort of horror story in the news, about children who are at the centre of some terrible murder, torture or abuse case.

Last week, two of the children involved were actually the perpetrators of the abuse on other children.

In Doncaster England, two young boys aged 12 and 10, viciously attacked another two boys, in a brutal and twisted assault that involved burning the victims with cigarettes, beating them with rocks and sticks, dropping a sink on one of them, making them perform sexual acts on each other, and instructing one of their victims to “Go away and kill yourself”.

These are acts that you could barely believe to come from the mind of the most evil and twisted adult, let alone be thought of and actually carried out by two boys that had not yet reached their teens!

Sadly a familiar back-story lay behind the two attackers.

They were brothers from a “broken home”.

Allegedly brought up by a drug addicted mother, and alcoholic father. It has been suggested the pair were fed food laced with cannabis so that the “parents” were able to get them to sleep quickly, and have some peace and quiet.

Another story of a neglected and violent upbringing, leads to the children who suffered that abuse becoming violent and abusive themselves.

Again in the UK there was the terrible case of Baby P, who was tortured and killed by his stepfather, whilst the child’s mother just watched and let it happen.

These people were also from violent upbringings.

There is a clear pattern. People from abusive backgrounds stand a very high chance of becoming violent adults.
So even the children who survive these awful upbringings can be left with scars that never heal, and the circle of abuse begins again.

Had poor baby P survived and lived on through the abuse, is there not a slight possibility he may have become a troubled and potentially violent young man?

What I am saying is the problem has to be sorted at the route. The Parents.

A popular children’s campaigner suggested this week that more children should be taken from these homes and put up for adoption much earlier in their lives.

He talks a lot of sense.

The social workers and carers who try and work with these “broken” families are clearly not able to change the situation in a high number of cases.

These children must be removed before the damage is done.

The RSPCA will not rehome a kitten, without firstly screening the home, and family of the new owner. Yet seemingly anyone, no matter what age, can have a human child, with little done to check the suitability of the family to bring it up.

Clearly something needs to be done to stop the abuse, get these children out of violent homes, and to do it before the cycle of abuse takes hold.

Surely the cost is worth it, to stop the deaths of innocent children, and to stop the creation of distorted, violent adults, who somehow managed to survive the horrors of their upbringing.

Communicating with our children can be a difficult task at times. We feel like they’re not listening to us; they feel like we’re not listening to them. Good listening and communications skills are essential to successful parenting. Your child’s feelings, views and opinions have worth, and you should make sure you take the time to sit down and listen openly and discuss them honestly.

It seems to be a natural tendency to react rather than to respond. We pass judgment based on our own feelings and experiences. However, responding means being receptive to our child’s feelings and emotions and allowing them to express themselves openly and honestly without fear of repercussion from us.

By reacting, we send our child the message that their feelings and opinions are invalid.

But by responding and asking questions about why the child feels that way, it opens a dialog that allows them to discuss their feelings further, and allows you a better understanding of where they’re coming from.

It’s crucial in these situations to give your child your full and undivided attention. Put down your newspaper, stop doing dishes, or turn off the television so you can hear the full situation and make eye contact with your child. Keep calm, be inquisitive, and afterwards offer potential solutions to the problem.

Don’t discourage your child from feeling upset, angry, or frustrated. Our initial instinct may be to say or do something to steer our child away from it, but this can be a detrimental tactic. Again, listen to your child, ask questions to find out why they are feeling that way, and then offer potential solutions to alleviate the bad feeling.

Just as we do, our children have feelings and experience difficult situations. By actively listening and participating with our child as they talk about it, it demonstrates to them that we do care, we want to help and we have similar experiences of our own that they can draw from. Remember, respond – don’t react.