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.

Is it possible to be a great father as a single dad? The short answer is, “Absolutely!” However, since being a single parent brings a variety of outside factors and dynamics, we may have to take a slightly different approach.

Vows are not just words. Unlike a promise, which is typically made between people and may be private to them, a sacred vow is made to God, or before God as a witness. It is never totally private and carries accountability to the person (or people) to whom we made the vow and to God.

Dr Nielsen’s work at Wake Forest has concluded that women perform better in what they refer to as the 3Ms = Money, Men, and Mental Health, if the father-daughter relationship is strong.

One of the best things a dad can do for his kids is to love and respect their mother. A strong marriage creates security for the whole family, and it helps your kids thrive in significant ways.

Who are your marriage role models? The number of couples choosing to get married is plummeting. Good, solid marriages are less common than they used to be. Maybe YOUR marriage has been a role model for others – or maybe you would like to be.

Even if nurturing wasn’t a strength for your dad, you can learn from others, and pass it on to your kids. Men do feel, and we do nurture. Let’s just do it… now! With our arms, words, eyes and ears, we can give our kids the physical and verbal affirmation that lasts a lifetime.

I finally discovered my wife’s biggest turn-on. I must confess I’d never been a fan of Gary Chapman’s book "The 5 Love Languages" before this incident. Initially, the whole concept felt contrived. I wasn’t buying it. That is, until that moment in the kitchen...

My father returned from the war with ten quid in his pocket. He’d been flying Spitfires and Hurricanes over Europe and later in Burma. He was invalided out, worn out by what he’d seen and done.

Lorenz suggested that a baby’s cute features trigger a nurturing response in adults, encouraging them to care for and protect them. Research has confirmed Lorenz’s theory many times over in the decades since.

The concept of a Love Bank was first developed by best-selling author Dr Willard Harley in 1986. Put simply, it is how we keep track of the way each person treats us. When it comes to being excellent fathers for our children, The Love Bank is a very useful concept.

It’s commonly accepted today that first marriages have a greater success rate when delayed. If we dig a bit deeper, however, we find this conventional wisdom regarding delayed marrying has its flaws. Certain factors are at play in the success of all marriages.

All dads want to be the best father they can. But it can be tough to know how to do this after separation. Here, Mensline Australia offers some parenting tips on how to be positive around your kids while dealing with your own stuff, like anger, sadness and loneliness.

Masculine men are the very thing we need — now more than ever in the battle of traditionalism versus progressivism. Though the media has attacked the vital value of gender itself, we know they’re wrong. We know male and female is how we’re made.

Caitlin Keating, a journalist with People magazine, has done a beautiful job telling this powerful story. The full title of this exclusive article is even harder to believe: “Blind Triplet Contemplated Suicide Before Blind Man Adopted Them. Now Boys Are Pursuing Their Dreams.”

The title above could just as easily read “My First 9 Months as a Dad”. I don’t think of myself specifically as an adoptive dad — I am a dad — to a beautiful, curious, vibrant little nine-month-old baby.

Couples who go the distance in marriage are those who have learnt to repair early and often. They still have disagreements, tiffs, and other challenges to their connection, but they catch it before it escalates.

If you can, work towards creating a happy place for your family. Discuss ideas, then start planning and working towards it. Your family happy place could be a screen-free family meal together, a fun bicycle or scooter adventure, or a fancy picnic at your local park.

Marriages are always stronger when a couple are looking forward to building a better future together by learning from their mistakes, rather than backward-looking and focused on the past failings of the other.

Fortunate is the father and child who discovers "I Love My Daddy Because…" (by Laurel Porter Gaylord). At last, here is a book that shows the variety of attributes men — and animals — share with their young.