Father Involvement

The definition of a father is the male parent of a child. Although mothers play a significant part in our lives, father’s are a big part as well. They help build a family. In a website called Fatherhood.org, I found statistic’s about how the family struggles without a father. The first one is that children living in female-headed homes with no spouse present have a poverty rate of 47.6%. The poverty rate is so high when a father is not present because usually the father is the provider and goes out to work to make money for the family. A mother can work, but she will not make as much as a father could and she still has the responsibility to take care of the children as well. It can be a struggle to take care of children while trying to make money for the family.

Another reason why fathers are needed is because individuals from father absent homes are 279% more likely to carry guns and deal drugs than peers living with their fathers. This is because these individuals didn’t have a father figure at home. They didn’t get the care that was need from both a mother and a father. Father’s have different traits then mothers do and it can be difficult to grow up not getting taught from a father what not to do and what to do.

In America, 23.6% of children lived in father-absent homes in 2014. It’s sad to see that many fathers are not committed to the decisions they have made. We need father’s that are willing to commit to having a family, be able to provide and raise a family, and take responsibility for their actions. We need father’s who are ready to accept the challenges of having a family.

Children raised in a father-absent home are two times more likely to suffer form obesity. This is because when a father is absent in the home, then the mother has to provide for her children. Sometimes the food that is unhealthy is cheaper than the healthier options and the mother is just going to buy food that she can afford whether it’s healthy or not. Another reason is because the mother may always be working and so the kids just eat whatever they want or whatever they can find in the house.

Children raised in a father-absent home are more likely to experience behavioral problems. Children tend to be more aggressive. They diminish self-concept, and develop emotional security. They constantly feel abandoned and have troubles making friends. They can have depression and anxiety it can be hard for them to understand why they don’t have a father in the home.

I had the chance to grow up in a family where my father was and still is present. Mother’s are there to nurture and care for you, but fathers are there to provide and teach you things as well. My father has taught me many things that I am grateful to know because it has made me part of who I am. One thing that I am glad that my father taught me was to work hard. When it came to school, he wanted us to try our best to get good grades and as long as we tried out best, it was good enough. I appreciate him teaching me to work hard because now that I am going to college, I have learned to get things done first like homework, and then I could have fun. It’s nice to be able to get homework done before I go out and have fun because I don’t have to worry about coming back and not getting it done or coming home to do homework. I have seen roommates struggle with this where they go have fun first and then they have to come home and do homework and they end up not getting it turned in on time because they decided to have fun first. There are many things I am grateful for that my dad taught me. I am grateful for his example to me and all that he does for me and for teaching me to work hard in everything I do.