Here are some devastating facts:
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. of Health/Census)- 5 times the average
90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes- 32 times the average
85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes- 20 times the average (Center for Disease Control)
80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes- 14 times the average (Justice and Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes- 9 times the average (National Principal’s Association Report)
70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes- 9 times the average (U.S. Dept. of Justice)
85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes- 20 times the average
71% of females who live without their fathers will become teenage parents
75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes
70-75% of black children without a father in the home
35% of hispanic children live without a father in the home
25% of white children live without a father in the home
Here is the GOOD news- and why God’s design of the family works best:
When fathers are involved, their children learn more, perform better in school and exhibit healthier behavior. Even when fathers do not share a home with their children, their active involvement can have a lasting and positive impact. The Education Department is working for fuller recognition and inclusion of fathers in all of their programs because of the huge impact fathers can have on their kids.
Source: A Call to Commitment: Fathers’ Involvement in Children’s Learning, published by the U.S. Department of Education. Updated February 19, 2010
- Children with involved fathers have less emotional and behavioral difficulties in adolescence
- Teenagers who feel close to their fathers in adolescence go on to have more satisfactory adult marital relationships
- Girls who have a strong relationship with their fathers during adolescence showed a lack of psychological distress in adult life.
Source: Dr. Einni Flouri and Ann Buchananm “Involved Fathers Key for Children”, Economic and Social Research Council, March 2002
What does this all indicate? It indicates that fathers are extremely important to a child’s well-being. Probably more than we’ve ever been led to believe or know. These stats highlight how important parenthood is in general. I’m sure we’d have more stats on the repercussions of motherless children if more mothers abandoned. However, most of the time it is the father. If addiction is creating your child to be motherless, it means that your child is being affected negatively in many different areas of their life. It also means that fighting addiction is important for everyone around you, especially your children. It cannot be measured or price tagged. When mothers are choosing the needs of the addiction over the needs of their children, they set their children up for all the negative consequences above. Keep this in mind, write the stats down on note cards. Put them everywhere to remind yourself that your children are more important than any chemical you can put in your body.
