It’s Father’s Day in the US. For those who have/had good fathers, let’s be a little thankful. My dad immigrated to the US in 1968 – made a great life for my family, now lives 4-5 miles from me. Lots of love and guidance over the years. Thanks Dad.

Many of us may take that stable family life for granted. . .

Many don’t have father (figures). NPR notes that in the US, 24.7 million kids don’t live with their biological father.  So that means a clear 1 out of 3 kids don’t get to live with their dads.

Dads matter. Alan Blankenstein, author of of many books (affiliate link) on reforming the educational system notes the impact of dads on education:

“Fatherlessness is having a great impact on education. First of all, it’s growing, and the correlations with any number of risk issues are considerable.

Children are four-times more likely to be poor if the father is not around. And we know that poverty is heavily associated with academic success. [Fatherless kids] are also twice as likely to drop out.”

Correlation is Not Causation. Important problems are complex.  The formula is not as simplistic as no father = no education, poverty, and crime. That said, there is definitely a correlation.  A few statistics showing how the absence and lack of involvement of dads affects their children here.

  • Greater risk of poverty: 4x
  • More likely to be obese: 2x
  • More likely to drop out of high school: 2x

Viscous cycle. Clearly, this is a systemic issue involving poverty, education, unemployment, drug policy, incarceration, and finally values. It’s a sobering thought – but let’s be thankful for our dads. Also, hats off to the many moms out there raising kids by themselves.  Making it work. Superheroes.

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