I am prepping for a Fathers Day Sermon this weekend (Service starts at 10AM at PleasantView Community Church) so throughout the week I want to share some songs, tidbits and statistics regarding fatherhood.
Please feel free to share any thoughts or comments about the posts or better yet, share a favorite memory about your father!
This one is modified slightly from a blog post I wrote on a different site about two years ago…
Why is it important to be a father? And to stayed married to their mother?
Chew on this…..
*63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) — 5 times the average.
*90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes — 32 times the average.
*85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes — 20 times the average. (Center for Disease Control)
*80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes — 14 times the average. (Justice and Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
*71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes — 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)
*75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes – 10 times the average. (Rainbows for All God’s Children)
*70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)
*85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes — 20 times the average. (Fulton Co. Dept. of Correction)
*Students living w/out Biological Fathers:
36 % overall (complete population)
28% of white students
39% of Hispanic Students
69% of Black Students
*63 % of students living with no biological father live in a households with income of $25,000 or less
Now, am I saying that if you are divorced that you are a bad father? Of course not! I know many great dads who are not married. But there are a few things that I am saying.
- If you are a divorced father, you need to work harder to be an active part of your child’s life. These stats are not saying that the kids will be a part of these numbers, but the likelihood increases by a lot.
- If you are still married to the kids mother, this is not an excuse to not work hard at being deeply involved in their lives. Statistically, an emotionally absent, physically present father is not as bad as a physically absent father, but it is much worse than an emotionally present, physically present father.
- If you had a poor or non existent father, do not use that as an excuse. Use him as an inspiration to do better for your kids than he did for you. Look to your father in heaven as an example of how you should be as a father.
- If you had a good or great father, use him as an example. Learn from him and ask him advice. Do the same with your heavenly father. He has already written some of it down for you.
- If you are not involved in your kids life, why? MAN UP! If you are not being a father you are not a man, you are a boy who can shave. The Good News? There is still time to change and repent and ask your heavenly father for help
Casey
Deut 11:9