OUR VIEW: The importance of fathers in our lives
Published 11:30 am Tuesday, June 20, 2023
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We’re a little late, but Father’s Day was Sunday, and we hope you had a chance to spend it with your dad.
Active and engaged fathers make all of the difference in our lives. And while being a good dad costs nothing, it’s rewarded with a lifetime of memories.
The importance of a dad shows in numbers from the National Fatherhood Initiative:
Research shows when a child is raised in a father-absent home, the child has:
• Four-times greater risk of poverty
• More likely to have behavioral problems
• Two-time greater risk of infant mortality
• More likely to go to prison
• More likely to commit a crime
• Seven-times more likely to become pregnant as a teen
• More likely to face abuse and neglect
• More likely to abuse drugs and alcohol
• Two-times more likely to suffer obesity
• Two-times more likely to drop out of school
Being at a t-ball game, grabbing the second controller for a video game or helping with homework may not seem like a lot, but those moments add up.
Good dads know what’s going on in their children’s lives. They know who their friends are, what their hobbies are and make time for one-on-one time.
Being a dad is a big job, and we’re thankful there are so many men out there willing to take it on. To all the fathers out there, thank you for all you do.