“We needed Winston Churchill but we got Iain Duncan Smith.” Such were the immortal words of England defender Gareth Southgate, describing manager Sven Goran Erikssen’s less-than-rousing speech during half-time for a Brazil-England quarter-final match. Sometimes we all need a little inspiration. But where to find it? To paraphrase Batman, quick, to the library!
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
Chinese Proverb
Wait, what?
The library? That smelly old place in that little street in that forgotten part of town?
Libraries are great. If you’re not a regular user of libraries, definitely check them out. Most libraries these days offer not only books, but CDs, audiobooks, courses, clubs, all sorts of things for free. Yes, ideas (which easily turn into inspiration) for gratis. Whoop-whoop!
But pray tell, what to do with all these extra ideas floating around in your grey matter? How about starting a blog? A blog is like a journal, but it’s online, and it can literally be about whatever you like. Here are some great examples of blokes who blog about different aspects of being a dad:
Here are some links to sites that let you set up a blog for free, and usually have tutorials to help get you started.
But if you prefer pen and paper to keyboard and screen, there’s nothing silly about a man keeping a journal full of ideas, quotations, or just observations. It’s not just for teenage fans of Twilight. Here’s a great site with stellar ideas for filling up a (manly-looking) notebook.
Go forth, and get inspired!
Did you take part in Fathers' Story Week?
If so, the organisers want to hear what you made of it. More than 2,000 primary schools, nurseries, children's centres, libraries and other settings celebrated the first ever Fathers' Story Week in the week before Father's Day - many of them inviting dads to attend special events and help their children with dad-themed homework. Now the Fatherhood Institute, which ran Fathers' Story Week with the support of partners including Barnardo's, the Daycare Trust, Children England, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the British Association of Social Workers, wants to hear feedback from practitioners and dads who took part. Take our online survey and send in your photos at
www.fathersstoryweek.org
.