Reports from across the US are showing a startling trend – a fatherhood crisis that’s been growing since the 90s and spells disaster for the kids it affects and the communities they fill. As another Father’s Day has just passed, it’s important to be reminded of the positive impact of a father figure and reinforce these values, something Florida has allocated $70 million in the state budget to cultivate.
Leading research shows that young men from non-intact families are more likely to end up in jail, drop out of high school, and not graduate college when compared to their peers with a stable two-parent household. The result is a wave of “floundering” young men, directionless in an increasingly demanding world. Several organizations such as the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) have begun to raise awareness for this cause through publications like Father Facts and programs like 24:7 Dad and begun to receive federal “responsible fatherhood” grants to help, but the issue runs deep.
Fatherless families have an extensive list of predispositions outside the direct path of the child. While IFS reports confirm that adolescent boys are more likely to be incarcerated if they grew up with an absent father, now we know the problem affects all facets of life, even ones outside of the legal realm. Data indicates that fatherless families are more likely to be poor and engage in violent or dangerous behavior like substance abuse, even if they never have any direct run-ins with the law. According to the NFI, the number of impacted children in the US has risen to 20 million, with the organization explaining, “Fathers influence their children’s development in unique and meaningful ways – positive father involvement is associated with better outcomes on nearly every measure of child well-being.” Over the last 30 years, NFI has connected communities and distributed more than 11 million fatherhood skill-building resources – training more than 45,000 individuals to work with dads nationwide.
It’s going to take a coordinated effort of this level to raise the whole community, an understanding that we all have vested interest in these lost young men and fatherless families. They grow up to be fathers and mothers themselves, our teachers, bankers, doctors, and neighbors – pillars of our community on which the future rests its heavy head. It then becomes our responsibility to build a solid foundation for all families, fatherless or not, something many leaders aren’t taking lightly. After signing HB 7065 back in 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis said, “Incredibly there are those who diminish the importance of fatherhood … we are doing everything we can to support involved fatherhood.” While our representatives can’t legislate fatherhood directly, we can all make sure present fathers get the support and awareness they deserve – to build a stronger future and catch those that fall between the cracks.
See you on the trail,
Lisa
LMA Newsletter of 6-24-24
