Researchers have been studying the impact of fathers on their children for decades. They have found clear benefits to having an involved father including:
- higher scores on tests of cognitive ability
- higher likelihood of graduating from high school and from college
- better grades in school
- higher income as an adult
- greater financial stability as an adult
- lower rates of juvenile delinquency and adult criminality
- lower drug, tobacco, and alcohol use as teens
- less likely to engage in early sexual activity
- lower risk for teen pregnancy
- less likely to commit suicide
- higher self-esteem
- better social skills
- more involved with their own children when they become parents
1. "The Hidden Benefits of Being an Involved Father" by Garrett Evans & Kate Fogerty
2. "20 Reasons Why Your Child Needs You to be an Active Father" at Kidsgrowth.net
3. "Father and Daughter Relationships" at GirlHealth.org
4. "The Father Factor" at the National Fatherhood Initiative
Certainly some women will become single moms through no fault of their own. Widows are the obvious example. In addition, there are marriages that cannot be saved- torn apart by domestic violence, substance abuse, chronic infidelity, and so on. Also, some women never get the chance to marry; adoption by them, while not the ideal, is still preferable to letting a child languish in an orphanage or foster care. My heart goes out to all those moms who find themselves, despite their wishes, struggling to raise kids on their own. These women need to make a special effort to find father figures for their children such as grandfathers, uncles, other relatives, pastors, youth ministers, teachers, sports coaches, Boy Scout leaders, Big Brothers, and so on.
May God bless all the fathers and father figures out there!
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