“Love is the greatest force in the universe”. These are the words of Dr Martin Luther King, America’s greatest civil rights leader. Dr King was assassinated in 1968 and so proved these words in unmistakable fashion.

Twenty years ago, on 1 May 2002, Dads4Kids was officially incorporated as a charitable association. Our mission remains the same as it was then. Our main focus is still a better life for our children:

“That is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible, committed and loving fathers.”

In short form, our mission is to ‘help people love’.

In music form, the 20-year anniversary story of Dads4Kids starts with the words of Sergeant Pepper’s Band who sang the words, “It was twenty years ago today, when Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.” Then the Beatles released their love anthem, “All You Need Is Love.” Some cynical soul pointed out that soon after, they broke up.

Foreigner reiterated the need for love in their global hit, “I Want Know What Love Is.”

Black Eyed Peas brought us up to date and hit us all between the eyes when they released “Where is the Love.”

Then again, maybe it was Ed Sheeran who had the last words when he sang his global mega-hit “Thinking Out Loud” — “Oh baby, we found love right where we are.”

The challenge we face is that love is often staring at us across the kitchen table, and we are too blind to see it.

As Mother Teresa said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”

Let me quote from our very first newsletter to help bring you up to speed with our journey.

“Welcome to our first Dads4Kids email newsletter for busy dads who want to improve their fathering skills. You have received this email because you saw our adverts on TV and registered on our website, or a friend registered your name and asked us to send it to you…

Our weekly newsletter will bring some encouragement every weekend. Something practical, something positive and something inspirational, and hopefully something for everyone. We are all on the journey to becoming a better dad, all at different stages. You pick out the bits that you want to read. If you like it, pass it on to a friend or drop us a line, we’d love to hear from you.

We have a great range of encouraging stories including Dads with Young Children, Grandads, Single Dads, Thought for the Week and much else besides…

I believe the greatest thing a father can do for his children is to love his wife. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Shakespeare says, ‘Love is a many splendoured thing’.

St Paul says, ‘these three things remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love’. The brothel keeper at the Moulin Rouge in the movie of the same name says, “We are creatures of the underworld. We cannot afford to love”. This is the reaction of many of us.

Loving people does not come easy to anyone. It is always easier to love someone you don’t know because the hardest people to love are those closest to you. I love my wife, but I must work at it. I’m sure she has the same problem loving me. Perhaps this is an even bigger problem for her than I think or even know.

Several years ago, when I was giving a marriage seminar in Tasmania, a lady gave me a wonderful definition of what love is. ‘Love is being committed to being committed.’

That is what marriage is all about. Being committed to being committed.

Children need to know and feel this kind of love. Love makes them grow better.

The best way for children to experience this kind of love is to see it every day in their mum and dad. That doesn’t mean that mum and dad are perfect, just two people on the road of life that know how to say sorry.

How does this ‘Love thing’ happen? Sometimes these things are so hard to quantify and even explain. All I know is you’ve got to keep the flame alive. It requires great effort, especially on the man’s part. You want to be a good father — love your wife.

Dads4Kids First Lovework Challenge 2002

Here’s some homework or lovework for you. Every day over the next seven days, tell your wife you love her and sometime over the next seven days, take your wife out on a date. You haven’t got time! You say you’re too busy! Took her out for dinner two years ago! Maybe that’s the problem. Two years is just a little too long between drinks.

You can’t afford to? You can’t afford not to!

As the famous basketball player said, ‘Just do it’.

For no other reason than that you love her, ‘Just do it!”

All the best with your lovework!”

Warwick Marsh

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Photo by Vlada Karpovich.