The tradition of asking a father for his blessing to marry his daughter reflects this human intuition of responsibility of care. As we welcome each child’s spouse into our family, we entrust them with our child’s care and commit to supporting them in this endeavour.
Loving needs to be unconditional. That’s what we’re all called to do as husbands and fathers. When a family member has a need, we take action. Even if it’s inconvenient! Love is more about commitment than feelings. But thankfully, the loving feelings will often follow the loving actions.
Earlier this year, another true-blue Aussie hero, Martin Stevenson from PowerPlus NSW, reached out to Dads4Kids. Like Chris Woods, Martin is a courageous man, doing what he can with what he has to raise much-needed funds and awareness for the men and fathers of Australia.
Though I have gained many insights into working with single fathers over the past 16 years, here are some that I consider to be the most foundational. I believe these five principles — three “Do’s” and two “Don’ts” — will prove successful in your parenting.
Some time ago, we were chatting with a man in his late twenties. He had been living with his girlfriend for some years, and she was restless: she wanted a commitment to marriage and family. After seven years together, he was still uncertain.
Witnessing my father’s interaction with my own kids prompted me to reflect on my relationship with him. It is possible that my book, "Single Dad", is a way of exploring what I missed out on.
It’s the second law of thermodynamics and we use the term regularly in ordinary conversation. But what does entropy have to do with relationships?
Renewing our vows can be done as frequently as we choose; from the mundane routines to settings in the extreme. When we start to think this way, there must be thousands of opportunities for couples to renew their vows.
How do you maintain your motivation and commitment as a dad? According to our own research on fatherhood, high commitment is the number-one sign or predictor of an effective father. But there’s a problem… our commitment level erodes over time.
The phenomenon of eloping to avoid the drama and cost of a big event is not a new idea. What is new, is having the big event, but exchanging vows separately in a smaller, more intimate, ceremony.
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