by Diane Robertson
We need fathers. The politically correct modern notion that as long as a child seems loved and cared for, then it won’t matter who raises the child is just wrong. Children need fathers. Society needs fathers. Mothers need fathers.
For years fathers have gotten a bad rap. They are often portrayed as either aloof workaholics or silly and wimpy. This needs to change. Study after study has proven the importance of a father’s presence in the life of his children and how that importance extends to the health of every society.
Fathers need to understand their importance. How can we expect men to stay and raise their children when they are constantly told they aren’t necessary?
British researcher Michael Lamb notes that negative stereotypes about fathers can have consequences. “Fathers can hardly be expected to maintain a belief in their importance when they are continually being told of their irrelevance, other than as economic supporters.”
Nothing could transform society as substantially as putting the father back in the home. This will not happen unless the majority of people give fathers the praise that is their due.
Statistics show that boys without a father in the home are more aggressive and are much more likely to engage in anti-social behavior. Girls without a father participate in early sexual activity, and that fatherlessness is the number one indicator for teenage pregnancy.
This father’s day let us remember that we really, really do need our fathers and let’s start telling them that.
This reprint is a favorite from June 2015.