When parents don't agree.

It's a sad state of affairs when divorced parents cannot agree on issues regarding their children. It makes life hard for everyone. Most men are usually left without much input after the divorce, and a lot of women love to throw the whole "I've got legal custody" thing in your face.

Is it any wonder some men do unthinkable things when they feel they are backed into a corner with nowhere to turn. Most women seem to think that they are the only ones who would hurt if they were separated from their children. They are of the opinion that if the father wanted to be with his children, he would not have walked out on them.

NEWSFLASH!!! Most men don't walk out on the children. It's the woman they walk out on. And no truer statement has been uttered than "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". Women will go to untold lengths to make sure life for her ex partner is never easy again. And they are good at hiding their tracks or making it appear as though they are doing what is best for the children.

It's in these times that most men really understand why they wanted out of the relationship. This woman is psychotic in a very manipulative way. Men start to question what ever led them together in the first place. The resentment steps in and before too long, you can cut the air with a knife whenever the two are in the same room.

She believes she is right and that's all there is to it. Nothing the man says is of any importance any longer. He can offer suggestions, opinions and helpful advice until the cows come home. She will happilly nod her head and agree while knowing all to well that she has no intention in taking his advice.

When things really start to heat up, she will always pull the custody word out of her overcrowded handbag and stop you dead in your tracks. You feel powerless. You don't agree with the way she raises the children but how do you get a voice. As long as the children are fed, clothed, educated and housed in acceptable accomodation and in no moral danger, there is hardly a court in the country that will give the father any power unless he can prove the mother is doing a bad job.

What constitutes bad? Who makes the morale decision of what is best for your children? What if the fathers standard of child raising is somewhat higher than the mothers? Is there a way for the father to get her to up her game? Don't even get me started on child support. How many fathers are happy to pay child support so long as it actually goes on the kids?

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who know exactly where I am coming from. I don't write these things looking for any kind of overwhelming support from others in the worls. It's my opinions written down as a kind of release of emotions that otherwise get bottled away. It's my therapy. Feel free to comment. I know there are plenty of single mothers now just chaffing at the bit for their right of reply.

Please go your hardest....I've heard every excuse under the sand.

Try to keep smiling......................

Has divorce improved your life?

Well the topic speaks for itself. Has divorce improved your life? I can say it has certainly made a difference to the life of my children.

How can that be I hear you ask? Well it's like this. I do not claim to be perfect in any sense of the word. I know I know, there are those of you out there that would believe sometimes I think the opposite.

Well I guess we are all guilty of acting a little pompous at times. (I raise my hand). The point I am trying to make is this. I was nothing but a passive father figure while I was married to my previous wife. I left all the parenting to her and occasionally growled like a dumb bear if they annoyed me just to show my dominance in the house.

Well a lot has changed since those days. Admittedly the children were unhappy at their father leaving. That's very natural for any child. It was hard on me too. I have shed more than a single tear over the last 5 years at being seperated from my children.

However, what it has done has made me a better father for my children. I still don't get along with my Ex well, and nor do I want to. (That's a whole different story)

However, my children now have a father that participates in their games and talks to them without raising his voice. A father that wants to teach them how to interact with the world and not just push them out into it. A father who wants to invest in their growing experience and reap the rewards of pride as he watches them take their place in the world as adults.

I now have an overwhelming sense of joy at watching the little things in their lives. Taking them outside to the sports field and watching run and laugh and play and just be children. I am now 41 years old. I have a 21 year old son from a very distant relationship whom I only met recently. I am proud of him and what he is doing with his life evan though I had no part of it.

I have 4 children from my previous marriage who range from 7 to 12. They are all great kids and respond extremely well to my changed style of parenting. I also have a new daughter from my current marriage who is almost 6 months old. I hope to make far less mistakes than I did before. I know I will still make them, but hopefully they won't be ignorant ones.

Divorce has led me down a different path with a new wife who has taught me to handle things in a far better way and to be able to build a better relationship with my children.

So has divirce improved your life? It has for me and my children. Sometimes the hards things turn out to be the best things for everyone concerned.

Kids in clubs.

Perhaps I'm getting old, or maybe just working in the wrong places, But I have to express my disgust in parents who go to clubs with young children in toe, and are still there after 9pm with little children who should be home tucked safely into their warm beds for the night.

It's bad enough that we as a society find it acceptable to take children into places full of alcohol and poker machines, but to then expect the children to just hang out while the parents socialise is so pathetic.

The morals of our country seem to be ever laxing and on a steep decent. Don't get me wrong, I am not against mum and dad getting out to a nice club for dinner with friends. But to then move over to the bar area for continued socialising while their children are expected to entertain themselves is purely selfish.

What sort of start to life are we giving our kids. Am I the minority on this train of thought? Am I just a prude? Well if I am, then I am. I will allow my children the privilege to choose to hang out at these places when they are adults and not raise them to think it is the standard practice of everyone.

The silent gig

As a musician, I have played probably thousands of gigs over the last 20 or so years. Playing music for a living is really no different to any other job. You have your good days and your bad.

Today was a bad day, I am yet to understand how a room full of people can sit there going about thier social activities while an entertainer plays song after song to absolutely no response whatsoever.

Am I at a deaf person convention? It is beyond me. Perhaps if I sounded bad I may get a few lemons thrown at me.

Anyway, thats just my two cents worth for today.

One of those days.

Well it's been a while since I last posted on this blog, so here is the first blog in a long time.

Today was just one of those days. As a fulltime musician, I packed my car this afternoon and prepared to head to work tonight. When it came time to leave, I could not help but think that I was leaving something behind.

Running through everything in my head, I could not put my finger on it. Everything seemed to be covered. So off I went. 30 minutes later I arrived at the venue and carted my equipment inside.

Upon starting to unpack my gear, I realised just what it was that I was missing. Power cords! I had no leads for my speaker of mixer. ARRRGGGGGG!!!!!

So with 40 minutes until my show had to start, I had to drive back home to get some. What a pain in the a%#.......

Needless to say, I began almost 20 minutes late. So you think thats it? Nope!

My mike stand would not stay up. I tried to tighten it, but it kept drooping. So I gave it a good turn. Oop's, there goes the thread. Now it's broken. Oh crap.

On top of that, I had some guy asking me to play all sorts of crap that I don't do. Thankfully he did manage to ask for about 2 songs I actually played.

Anyway, thankfully I managed to get through it all and get back home. Now just to get through tomorrow's:-)

My Space is running

Get on over to my new page with audio and all.
Geoff Taylor Music

New Song

After much soul seeking today, I decided the best way to show my deepest sympathy for Steve Irwins family was to write a song in his honour. So I did.
http://www.geofftaylormusic.com/Music/memory of you.mp3

Memory of you is a tribute to the greatest Australian this generation has ever known.

Thanks Steve.

Inadequate Life!

The Death of Steve Irwin seems to have affected many Australians in a hard way. Today has really hit it home for me. As I hear more and more on the tv and read more on the internet about his amazing life, it makes me realise just how inadequate my life is. It took me 20 years as a musician to finally record my own songs and put them onto a CD. I work a few nights a week and the rest of the week I waste doing almost nothing.

Then I think of the life that Steve Irwin lived. I doubt that he spent a day of his life not doing what he loved. His life may have been cut short, but every minute of it was fullfilling to him. He lived every minute to its fullest. He was a fair dinkum genuine Aussie that we all need to look up to. If more people in the world could live life with half the passion that he did, this world would be a really wonderful place to live.

As for me, I intend to start doing more with my life. I'm going to start getting outside more often and seeing what is around me. I love taking photo's, so Im going to start doing more of it. I probably won't become a world renowned photographer, but at least I will be living life alot better than I am today.

Steve Irwin not only taught us about animals and conservation, but he gave a truly remarkable example of how we all should live our lives. Thankyou for living . You have been an inspiration to everyone.