- 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. (this means 4.6 times more likely to commit suicide)
- 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. (this means 24.3 times more likely to run away)
- 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. (this means 15.3 times more likely to have behavioral disorders)
- 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. (this means 6.6 times more likely to drop out of school)
- 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes
- 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. (this means 15.3 times more likely to end up in prison while a teenager)
- Nearly 2 of every 5 children in America do not live with their fathers.
- Daughters who perceive that their fathers care a lot about them, who feel connected with their fathers, have significantly fewer suicide attempts and fewer instances of body dissatisfaction, depression, low self-esteem, substance use and unhealthy weight.
- Teenagers living in single-parent households are more likely to abuse alcohol and at an earlier age compared to children reared in two-parent households
- In a study of 146 adolescent friends of 26 adolescent suicide victims, teens living in single-parent families are not only more likely to commit suicide but also more likely to suffer from psychological disorders, when compared to teens living in intact families
- Children reared by a divorced or never-married mother are less cooperative and score lower on tests of intelligence than children reared in intact families. Statistical analysis of the behavior and intelligence of these children revealed "significant detrimental effects" of living in a female-headed household. Growing up in a female-headed household remained a statistical predictor of behavior problems even after adjusting for differences in family income.
- Children with fathers at home tend to do better in school, are less prone to depression and are more successful in relationships. Children from one-parent families achieve less and get into trouble more than children from two parent families.
- Nationally, 15.3 percent of children living with a never-married mother and 10.7 percent of children living with a divorced mother have been expelled or suspended from school, compared to only 4.4 percent of children living with both biological parents.
- Only 13 percent of juvenile delinquents come from families in which the biological mother and father are married to each other. By contract, 33 percent have parents who are either divorced or separated and 44 percent have parents who were never married.
- Seventy percent of juveniles in state reform institutions grew up in single- or no-parent situations.
So, Dad, this entry is specially in your honor, and also to my Grandpa, David Jester, and to my Granddad, Marvin Mann. Thank you for loving your children, and continuing to treat my parents like the real gems they are, who now in their turn love us ("us" being me and my siblings) like Christ loved us.
This entry is also in my brothers' honor, so that they will always remember that there's nothing more important than being a father. God Himself showed us this when He sacrificed His Son, Jesus, to die for us, so that we could become His children and spend eternity with Him in heaven. So this entry is in God's honor as well, because He is the ultimate Father, the ultimate caretaker, and the sole God who loves us like a Dad. It's okay to call God "Daddy", however silly it may feel, because that's what God is. He is our Daddy, and this is our day to celebrate and honor Him as well as our earthly fathers. A big round of applause to the men of today who know how to treasure their children!
Love,
