92% of lone parent families are headed by the mother. Even at birth, 20% of children live with only 1 parent, by the time they are teenagers this is nearly 50%. For up to 3 million children tomorrow will be Absent Fathers Day, and here are some of the the consequences:
Children who experience family breakdown are more likely to
–experience behavioural problems;
–perform less well in school;
–need more medical treatment;
–leave school and home earlier;
–become sexually active, pregnant or a parent at an early age;
and report more depressive symptoms and higher levels of smoking, drinking and other drug use during adolescence and adulthood.
Before you can tackle the issue of responsible fatherhood, you have to address the issue of responsible manhood WITHOUT a wink and a nod or saying that it is all women`s fault because they give in before marriage. Granted, many women do not the grace the gender. But the topic is men.
And the image of men in the West is not one of honor, stability,, trust, and faithfulness. Sorry, but it isn`t. They seem to view marriage as something they will do if they find the right candidate to add to their image, career path, and portfolio, not about growing in values, faith, and love as a couple to share outward with one`s larger family, community, etc.
This is why the poor don`t see the point of marriage at all — when it` s mostly about money and he is a slacker or trouble, then relyingon the government or charity seems like the better oo the women. And the men don`t care. They shirked the responsibility. Since he has no money, and it seems to be all about money, he doesn`t think he ha.s .anything to offer the family.
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There was a segment on CNN last week about a 30-year-old man who has 22 kids by a host of different women. The news anchors were giggling away as he said how it wasn`t his fault, he just loves ladies. No job, no child support, the journalists thought he was cute.
I was expressing my outrage when my housekeeper said her father has 28 kids that she knows of, there may be more! For all of this woman`s life, she has gotten calls and visits from strangers out of the blue, people who are her brothers and sisters from affairs her father had.
Not to that extent, thankfully, but there are a whole lot of children from diverse backgrounds who have been scarred by the knowledge and fallout of the cheating culture. There are also a lot of women who have been callously lied to, used, and discarded by men. I know two from my college days were psychologically damaged by planned cruelty. The hookup culture has further made people morally numb.
I think the question that needs to be answered is this: Is marriage more than the financial stabilizer always emphasizedand how can men and women regain the values, trust, mutual respect, and depth required for real relationships?