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Life as a single mom |
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has to make the fathers be involved then the whole time you would be worried sick, is he taking good care of the child, is he making sure that the child is feed, safe, feeling loved and wanted. In the cases where the Father wants to be involved, and is excited about seeing that child the mother knows her child will be taking care of when he/she is with their dad. According to an article found in Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2007 informed us that approximately 84% of custodial parents are mothers, and 16% of custodial parents are fathers. This information shows us that in single parent homes that it is mom’s who are caring for the children. In a survey done by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Lerman and Sorensen (2000) find that about 67 percent of fathers and 54 percent of mothers said the father saw at least one of their nonmarital children weekly or lived with them. At the same time 25 percent of fathers and 39 percent of mothers reported that the father rarely or never visited a nonmarital child. This just seems so unfair to me. It’s unfair to the child to never get know or bond with his father. It’s unfair to the mother to have to do it all on her own. And the father just gets to walk away and not take any responsibility for his child. Research from the executive office of the President 2001, shows that children who grow up with two parents who are committed to that child’s raising are more likely to perform better in school, it reduces their of having a problem with substance abuse, less likely to commit any crimes, there are fewer emotional and behavioral problems, less risk of abuse, and there are lower risks of teen suicides. It seems very clear to me that a child having a loving, supportive, father involved in his’s/her’s upbringing has a huge impact on their life. Being a single mother myself, I know exactly how much pressure that there is on women who have to raise their children on their own. I just wish that if men are going to call themselves men then they need to step up to the plate and be men, and if they are fathers then they need to step up to the plate and be fathers, in every way. Men are mistaken if they think that spending a couple or four days a month with their kids gives them the right to call themselves a parent. A parent is there for their kids through the good times, the bad times, and the hard times. A parent helps their kids with homework, makes sure that child is provided for, that their child knows that they are loved and wanted, and disciplines their child when they need it. And for all the guys that are not ready to be fathers, be responsible and take the steps that are needed to prevent any unwanted pregnancies. |
