In a recent Pew Research Study, 57 percent of adults said it’s more difficult to be a father today than it was 20 or 30 years ago. That may be one reason why, in that same study, it was found that the percentage of fathers living apart from their kids had more than doubled in the last 50 years. Add to that the fact that almost half of all today’s American fathers under the age of 45 have at least one child who was born out of wedlock. Interesting information to ponder as we observe Father’s Day this weekend. While I know there are a lot of single dads doing everything they can to be a good father, there are still too many kids who are growing up without Dad in the picture these days. Not having a dad active in a kids life puts a hardship on that child. One they may never overcome. Far too many men think that they’ve proven their manhood when the kids are born. That’s far from the truth. We cannot simply cede our responsibility at the birth of a child. It is as much a Father’s responsibility, as it is a mothers, to care for and raise the children. There are plenty of Dad’s out there that get it and we hope they have a great Father’s Day. And for those who need to get more involved with their kids…Use the holiday as an excuse to get started, and go make this a Better Region 8.
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