Hi Reader Dad Joke: What do you call the number seven when it has a cold? Sick Seven So ... This week I had the chance to spend the afternoon with a group of doulas, midwives, and tongue-tie practitioners…and honestly, it was one of the most useful “professional development” moments I’ve had in a while. And not because it was formal…in fact quite the opposite. It was relaxed and that created the perfect space over coffee and tiny sandwiches for something we don’t get enough of in paediatrics:...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: My mechanic said I can pick up my car at 5pm. I told him I don't think I'll be strong enough by then! Song of the Week: Robert Miles x Adele - Children X Set Fire To The Rain X Murdah Do you examine children like a bad mechanic? You know who I’m talking about, the type of guy who pokes around your possibly dodgy car engine making “hmm” and “ugh” noises, only to conclude at the end, with a sigh “Yep, it’s dysfunctional!” "What? What’s dysfunctional?" No clarity, just...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: A tiger went to the chiropractor for pain. The chiropractor touched the tiger's back and asked "Is this the spot?" The tiger said "No, that's a stripe." Song of the Week: Follow the Sun - Xavier Rudd I am writing to you from Hanover airport in northern Germany. A delayed flight has given me time to sit and think about this weekend. I have been in Braunschweig, teaching my Peads in Motion 2: Toddlers to Teens Seminar. And I have to say…I am slowly falling in love with...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: What do you call a light covering of snow in Hawkins? A Dustin. Song of the Week: Running up that Hill - Kate Bush Do you have a plan? Do you start with the end in mind? I saw a documentary recently on the making of the latest season of Stranger Things where the writers said that when they started filming they had not yet decided how the season would end…and to be honest it showed. Millions of people were let down by the storytelling because it just went in circles, there...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: Why is Peter Pan always flying…because he neverlands! Song of the Week: Lost Boy - Ruth B They’re the ones who fall through the cracks. Too old to be “cute and developmental”.Too young to be taken seriously as adults. The lost boys of neuromusculoskeletal care. (And yes, I’m thinking Peter Pan.) Older children sit in a strange no-man’s-land of healthcare. When we see babies, we instinctively respect development. We talk about milestones, reflexes, variability, and...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: Why did the tomato turn red at the gym? It saw the salad dressing, and realized it needed to work on its core. Song of the Week: Johnny Clegg (With Nelson Mandela) - Asimbonanga (after spending some time in my home country South Africa this feels like the right song for this week.) Picture a core workout… I bet most of us have in mind a scene at the gym with yoga balls, reformer machines and lots and lots of lycra. But how many people do you think would picture a baby...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: Do you wanna hear a construction joke? I'm still working on it! Song of the Week: Inkululeko Lyndani ft Bhodloza Development is interesting. Mainly because it doesn’t work the way we think it does…let me explain. Let’s take the first year of life as an example. We initially assume that it’s pretty much a straight timeline from prone and supine to roll to sit to crawl to pull to stand…and on and on…but it isn’t. It’s much more of a “build up and burst” type of deal where...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: Mrs. Goat: “Honey, we’re going to have a baby!” Mr. Goat: “You’re kidding.” Song of the Week: Alex Warren - Ordinary I’m not sure if I have told you but my father is a chiropractor. It’s kind of in our blood. But not just chiropractic…paediatrics. Dr. Lionel Marinus was one of the first chiropractors in South Africa to see babies in practice. We used to have “baby hour” where they would all arrive en masse. I loved those mornings. For the parents it was a get together…they...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader Dad Joke: What do you call a snowman with a six-pack? The abdominal snow man! Song of the Week: Last Rickmas - Fl_sh “Stand up straight so Mike can have a look at you.” I hear this a lot … usually from a parent who has just fought their way through afternoon traffic for their child’s appointment. The idea being that they want their child to show me their “posture”. But I know, as do you, that this “standing up straight” is just a performance, there is no way junior is standing like...
3 months ago • 2 min read