Why Are Fathers Not Around?

Many children today can recall hearing their parents fighting and arguing. Children know that one minute both of their parents are living in the house and the next day they are not. It is very rare today for kids to be living with both parents. Slowly over the course of time a father’s influence in the family is beginning to wane.

The majority of children tend to stay with their mothers after their parents divorce. Dad’s however wanted to maintain a relationship with their children. Although some moms will probably tell you something different. One survey has revealed that only 1 child in 6 sees his or her divorced father on a weekly basis. Just about half the children had not seen their father for an entire year.

Unfortunately shared custody is currently failing in many families. This type of arrangement requires enormous cooperation and trust. Most parents fail to exercise these qualities when dealing with their ex. The main reason most fathers stop seeing their children is because they do not want to be bothered with their ex-wife’s. Don’t get me wrong there are still a large number of dad’s who spend lots of quality time with their children.

But because they are not involved in the everyday lives of their children, it is hard for some to behave like dads when they are with them. They are constantly trying to make up for the fact that they are not around. Spending virtually all of their time with them in recreation or shopping. Gifts should not be a substitute for the guidance and discipline that your children need. When you become the playmate the father-child relationship is bound to deteriorate.

Because fathers often end up feeling cut off from their children, they begin to abandon their families. Even failing to give the needed financial support. It also makes a difference if the parents are not married. Since teen pregnancy is a global problem there are record numbers of illegitimate births. A book called Teenage Fathers, written by Bryan E. Robinson stated: Out of wedlock pregnancy no longer carries the shame and humiliation it did during the 1960’s because of more liberalized social attitudes towards sex and premarital pregnancy. Television programs give adolescents the impression that sex is romantic, and exciting. Teenage boys who father children at a very young age very rarely stay around to take on the responsibility for their offspring. About 70% visit their child once a week.

And usually as the child gets older the visits become less and less. Instead of sticking around to cope with the humiliation of failure most teenage dad’s just walk away. To make matters even worse the legacy of a fatherless home is often passed on from generation to generation. Growing up without a father can actually pose a serious danger to many children. Some of these dangers are increased risk of sexual abuse, poverty, neglect, and emotional damage.