All
Blacks praised for putting mums first
By Garth George
Challenge Weekly, New Zealand
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Jack
Chris
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AUCKLAND, NZ
(ANS) --
The Family First New Zealand lobby group has
praised
the actions of internationally-famous All Black dads-to-be Chris Jack
and Doug Howlett who are making themselves unavailable for upcoming
rugby union football tests so they can support a wife and fiancé
respectively when their babies are due.
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| Doug
Howlett
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"Most people will have forgotten the scores
of these
tests the players are missing within the next year or so, but their
wives and children will always remember the sacrifice they have made to
be there at the birth," said Bob McCoskrie, national director of Family
First NZ.
"Michael Jones [a noted Christian leader and
former
All Black] was respected for his stand of not playing on Sundays,
despite having to miss a number of important rugby games," said Mr
McCoskrie.
"In the same way, Jack and Howlett deserve
respect
for sacrificing a rugby cap to put their families first at such a
significant time.
"Despite them both having played more than
50 tests
each, I am sure that the arrival of their children will be a special
memory for them. It will also be hugely appreciated by their families.
Mr McCoskrie said that not long ago, new
research
suggested that New Zealand had one of the highest rates of post-natal
depression in the world. Nearly a third of all Kiwi mothers suffered
the "baby blues", according to a study carried out at Auckland
University.
So it was vital that mothers got all the
support they needed, especially from their husbands and close family
members.
Mr McCoskrie also praised the All Blacks'
management for supporting Jack and Howlett's entitlement to take
paternity leave.
"Despite our love of rugby and All Black
test
matches, it is good to know that we are also passionate about
supporting families," said Mr McCoskrie.
| Veteran journalist Garth George
became editor of
Challenge Weekly, New Zealand's independent and non-denominational
Christian newspaper, when he retired after 17 years as editorial pages
editor of The New Zealand Herald, the country's biggest daily. He has
written a weekly column for that newspaper for nearly 10 years and his
column continues to be published every Thursday. |
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