Where it all started! 

The interview with Neil Mitchell on 3AW discussing the ban from Charlie's ballet concert. 

So much has happened since then and I am always so humbled by the support that I received from so many people. 

This shows that the outdated gender expectations are slowly being chipped away and Dads are stepping up and taking an active roll in rearing the next generation 

 Michael Ray outlines why the discussion around single and working parents must change .

George and Michael talk about outdated gender expectation, about maternal gate keeping that promotes mum-shaming and changing the perceptions that fathers are merely baby- sitters but rather PARENTS!

Men need to be held equally responsible for raising the next generation.

 Please support quality, independent, unbiased journalism and follow "TheInformer".  

Watch this month’s CRAZY to SANITY LIVE replay, Fatherhood: Live From The Heart Without Reservations.

https://youtu.be/ISQPTfJAgPg

Michael Ray says ‘I want my daughter to see me as a failure, to see me handle it as good as my successes. If I wear the problem solver’s and protector’s hat all the time, then she won't be able to make decisions.’

He continues, ‘when we are taught to excuse and accept violations of your rights, also our values by people with authority such as parents/grandparents/guardians, coaches, teachers and impactful role models in our early years, that leads us to believe that extrinsic rewards for behaviour are more valuable than intrinsic rewards for behaviour.’

Would you agree?

Such an insightful conversation about fatherhood and Michael’s journey has encouraged him to break the mould of a male stereotypes, to overcome male stigmas, and allow men and fathers, to focus on raising children with needed and expected ethics, to allow our children to grow up with confidence and their own uniqueness.

It’s an unfiltered and unadulterated look at what life is like from a man’s perspective.

Here's the link to the replay, https://youtu.be/ISQPTfJAgPg

Please, like, share to raise awareness of these conversations, and the more men who are willing to express their often unheard views, the more understanding and connection humanity can share.

#ManyMenManyConversations #Relationships #Fatherhood #Parenting #Communication #Vulnerability #YouAreNotAlone #AskForHelp #COVID19

 In this episode Darren chats with Michael who has had some interesting experiences as a single father. He also talks about what changes need to happen in order to support men and fatherhood. 

Darren has a diverse professional background. After working in radio, advertising and as a puppeteer, Darren started his Early Childhood career in earnest 18 years ago. He draws from his experience as a childcare centre manager in his current position as a lecturer in Early Childhood. His expertise and knowledge of the challenges that arise when working with young children and their parents, has informed his work with programs such as Relationship Australia’s FUN 4 KIDS (Fathers Utilizing Networks for Kids) and the residential program at the O’Connell Family Centre in Melbourne.

Darren has a passion for working to educate, inform and empower fathers and this lead him to work with the Mercy for Women Heidelberg where he designed and facilitated a 2-year pilot program of ante-natal classes for new fathers. He also delivers the Dads and Bubs sessions at St. Vincents & Mercy Private Hospital.

Darren also consults privately with parents who have young children with sleep/settling and behaviour problems and is a regular contributor to community discussions regarding the role of Dads in contemporary families.  If these things are not enough to keep him busy, Darren is also a registered Marriage Celebrant.

Darren lives in a modern blended family home in a Melbourne suburb with his four children and his second wife.

Michael contributes to a panel discussion -Bouncing back from challenging career times

Sali Midjek-Conway talks to a panel of women and men to discuss how they bounced back from challenging career times.

As wives, mothers and carers lockdown has not been kind to women. Now is the time to focus on you.

Hear from our experts on how to stay relevant, be comfortable with self-promotion, develop your personal brand, bounce back from adversity and develop both confidence and resilience.

Driving forward a career alongside being present for your family is hard. We recognise that. Allow our carefully curated selection of experts offer their advice on some of the challenges, issues and hurdles we all face, so that you can make your career work for you.

You will be required to sign into the "She Has No Limits" platform, you can opt out to receive any further updates. 

 Recently had a chat with Pablo Miller from Perth's Triple MMM about some some of the outdated gender expectations around contemporary #fatherhood 

 Why aren’t there change tables in male toilets? And why isn’t fatherhood spoken of in the same glowing terms as motherhood? Single Dad & Blogger Michael Ray joined Pablo to discuss modern day fatherhood and what we can all do collectively better. 

Mama You've Got This is the home of the Experts. They connect Mamas with Experts and each other. They empower parents on their journey with Expert knowledge and support.

​

Mama You've Got This is a Modern village offering an online program designed by Christy and Freya, two Melbourne Mamas, who have 7 children between them. They have sought out the very best baby and Mama health and wellness Experts and designed a program relevant to each age and stage of your baby's development which will give you all the knowledge you need to be the best Mama you can be. 

https://www.mamayouvegotthis.com.au/ 

Michael Ray is a dad, single parent, a friend and an inspiration to his daughter Charlie. He writes to inspire all with his experiences, struggles and his unconditional love. He kindly shared this article with us and we hope his Father's Day went exactly as he planned. Happy Father's Day to all Dada's 

 That’s just how it is in the world of dad’s we’re larger-than-life, we’re heroic in nature and funny as all get out. So on this Father’s Day I will find a quiet moment as I try and digest a breakfast of pancakes and ice cream, sit back in my new pyjamas and raise the MY DAD ROCKS coffee cup and most likely shed a tear thinking about how lucky I was to have a hero for a dad and little legend for a kid. 

 I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Suni Sanchez from Human HQ, a mother of two boys, a best selling author and founder of Human HQ.   

At HumanHQ® they believe that parents hold the key , which goes beyond knowing how to change a nappy or feeding a baby.It's about having the knowledge, tools, resources, and mentorship to build a healthy relationship with our child from day one; to support your, and your baby's physical, mental, emotional, and social well being; and to create a healthy and harmonious environment.

SS: Yes, it takes practice and awareness to step back from the wishes and expectations that parents put on their babies, even before they're born. Of course, intention when becoming a parent is very important, but that's very different than just having a whole wish-list of what we want our child to be.Michael, thank you! I really, really appreciate your time and your wisdom.Any last words?

MR: When society talks about fatherhood in the same glowing terms as motherhood, inertia will be broken. When men are recognised and admired for their nurturing, and raising of the next generation instead of their income, position or power, a paradigm will finally shift.When men are held equally responsible for raising the next generation, women will achieve true equality, not only in the workplace, but society in general.It's time to move from outdated gender and societal roles that are limiting all of us. I'm a solo dad to my daughter, and my daughter - our children - deserve better than we are currently doing.

Thank you Suni for the opportunity and if anyone would like to check out Suni's web page please click on this link : https://www.humanhq.co/ 

I am so happy to be asked to appear on Australia's newest online broadcast news service, The Informer with Australian TV legend George Donikian (my mum was wrapped!)

Managing to get a completely unashamed and brazen plug in for my upcoming book, released next year (through Jennifer Sharp DAISY LANE PUBLISHING)

While talking about some of the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary fathers and their direct impact on women empowerment and equality in general.

Also hopefully serving as an example not to cut your own hair during lock down!😳

Please support quality, independent, unbiased journalism and follow "TheInformer".

Diversity of voice matters in ALL things!
 

 Here we are, Father’s Day 2020, my 8th year as a dad and so much has changed over each of those years, not only for my daughter but also for me as a person and as a dad. Looking back, I remember thinking from the outside that fatherhood would be limiting, however, I’ve found fatherhood has given me the freedom to cast off the ego, facade and pretense and actually discover who I am as a person and as a man. 

More about Michael's journey will be published in his book "Who Knew? "

due for release in June 2021

 Michael speaks to Australian TV legend - George Donikian about all things dadding including Family Court perceptions and outcomes, the importance of reaching out for help, wonderful support networks that Mum's have and dads need to cultivate. We discuss the gift of clarity through crisis and some of the opportunities that may be present in these challenging COVID times. 

"As parents we can either manipulate our children's behaviours or we can inspire them by our examples, values and actions. '

Excerpt from 

'Who Knew' 

Michael Ray's book to be launched 

June 2021

Please support Australians newest online News Broadcast for quality,  independent and informed journalism. Please subscribe on 

 So happy to be asked to appear on Australia's newest online broadcast news service, The Informer with Australian TV legend George Donikian (my mum was wrapped!)

Managing to get a completely unashamed and brazen plug in for my upcoming book, released next year (through Jennifer Sharp DAISY LANE PUBLISHING)

While talking about some of the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary #fathers and their direct impact on #womenempowerment and #equality in general.

Also hopefully serving as an example not to cut your own hair during lockdown!😳

Please support quality, independent, unbiased journalism and follow The Informer. Diversity of voice matters in ALL things! 

 At 51, Michael Ray was thrust into solo dad life. A ‘wild ride’, he says, navigating the challenges, wonder and fun of parenting a young child. The experience opened his eyes to outdated gender expectations and led him to become a vocal advocate for equality and change. Michael’s passion is infectious, and his enlightened approach to parenting and advice to dads is true inspiration. 

 OVERCOMING THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF NORMATIVE GENDER STEREOTYPES TO ATTAIN GENDER  

 Michael Ray – a single father who overturned a policy that denied fathers the right to access their daughter’s dressing rooms at Parkwood Dance Academy 

 Do we really need a special day to profess our love with some grand gesture complete with jewelry, flowers, chocolates or even some specialty, purpose-designed, hardly practical but unusually interesting underwear? 

 SEE PAGE 29 FOR MICHAEL'S ARTICLE 

Love simply is ‘The Quality of Attention We Give to Others'

I was asked to write an article for the Back to School edition as an ‘expert’ in my field. I did have a cackle at this as I am the furthest thing from an ‘expert’, in any field (except maybe pie eating?), but what I will gladly do is share the experiences I’ve had with Charlie and how it has changed and shaped my version of the world as I see it today and how I want to guide Charlie to be a strong, resilient and self- assured human. 

   Dads - how do you talk to your daughters about their period?

In this third interview in the series, we catch up with Cath from Sex Ed Rescue and solo Dad, Michael Ray about Dads and talking to daughters about their periods. From single Dads to two Dad families. If you have daughters this is a must-listen interview for you..

   From $152 to $863: 11 parents share exactly how much they spend on their kids each week.

According to a 2018 study conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, it costs Australian families (at least) $140 to $170 a week to raise a child. However, for most families, this will be a gross underestimation.

Michael Ray appears on Channel 9's Weekend Today Show for Fathers Day 2019. 

Covering the discussion on Brisbane's New NRL Team and Dad Time Benefits 

 My dad was a dad, his dad’s dad was a dad and his dad’s dad’s dad was also a dad.

I come from a long line of dad’s, however, with my looks, awkward personality and complete lack of any understanding of women, it wasn’t even certain the opportunity to be a dad would eventuate.

Women will achieve true equality when men are held equally responsible .....

 He has continued to challenge, speak up and advocate for equality, reducing stigmas and calling out injustice. 

Recently appearing on Channel 9 with Madonna King discussing 'The Rules For Dating my Daughter"

Melbourne dance school lifts ban on Dad backstage at concert

 This Australian single dad has been raising his 5-year-old daughter Charlie for the past three years alone. In that time, the personal trainer and powerlifter has shattered conventional stereotypes by publicly donning his little girl’s nail polish on his toes at a recent lifting contest.  

Becoming a parent at 50 was so unexpected! Charlie is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I have scheduled my life around making sure that she is my main priority. 

Talking about being a single dad, how fatherhood has changed Michael. He also discusses the importance of having a supportive network when being a single parent. 

Michael has made headlines in the media for years now, in the name of equality and equal rights for single parents, in particular single fathers   

It is up to us dads to model the respectful treatment of women (including not denigrating or disrespecting their mothers if you are separated) 

 Society’s wheels sometimes take an age to turn, but every so often we’re reminded that we’re heading in the right direction. One such example was last year when a Melbourne ballet school overturned an archaic ban to ensure dad – and sole carer – Michael Ray could be backstage with his four-year-old daughter, Charlie, prior to her November 20 concert 

 With an exceptionally big heart, his attitude and approach to fatherhood are remarkable. Through his stories, we look forward to seeing how Michael can inspire all of us to live from the heart and without reservation despite the challenges or obstacles life can throw us 

 Michael says sometimes other parents can be unconsciously biased against single dads, and even more so to single dads of little girls.

“Women are mostly supportive but some say patronising things, like 'how do you manage?' It’s just the same as any single parent,” he tells Kidspot.

 Little Charlie, 4, was going to be the only student without a parent backstage for her ballet concert until her dad came to the rescue. 

 EVERY Christmas, Michael and his daughter Charlie wake up to find Santa has left presents as well as a letter more precious than the gifts. 

 What does it mean to be a “father” in a time where the base identity of a “male” is being challenged, even called “toxic”?

What challenges or opportunities are present for me raising Charlie in a family where there is no mother, no significant female role model?

 l never know when Charlie won't want to climb in for snuggles... I hope it lasts for as long as possible". 

“Most nights she'll wander in about 1.30am with her teddies, which she'll arrange before she climbs in and drapes her legs and arms over me like a drunk octopus,” he says.

“I'm still at that beautiful, magical place of being a dad where I can just sit and stare forever in sheer wonderment watching her sleep, just thinking about it makes me all teary."

A single dad in Melbourne has found his five-year-old daughter's transition from home to kindergarten a bit of a challenge. 

So instead of crying over lost daddy-daughter time Michael Ray decided to motivate Charlie with heartfelt messages in her lunch box.

They are thoughtfully cut out by hand and say thing like 'You are a star!' and 'I wooly, wooly love you!' in the shape of a sheep.