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Development Topics
Stay Close to Your Child
The Breakdown of the Family
The fundamental tragedy of our day is the
fragmentation of families.
1. In the United States:
- only 34 percent of all children will live with both biological parents through age 18
- 70 percent of black babies and 19 percent of white babies are born out of wedlock
- 62 percent of mothers with children under age 3 are employed
- 72 percent of mothers with children under 18 currently hold jobs
2. According to psychologist Dr. James Dobson, “This busyness of mothers combined with the noninvolvement of fathers means that too often, there is nobody home! No wonder boys are such a mess today!”
3. Even when fathers are present, they’re often distracted, overworked, harassed, exhausted, disinterested, chemically dependent, unable to cope, inaccessible, distant and/or abusive.
4. As a result, boys are often missing the masculine role modeling and
mentoring that dads should be providing. This puts them at much greater
risk of anti-religious
beliefs and antisocial behaviors.
5. Smart employers “won’t hire a young man who has been in rebellion against his dad,” says Bill Houghton, who for years was president of a large construction firm. Why? Houghton says because “he will have difficulty with me, too.” Conversely, “If he felt loved by his dad and respected his authority, he’s likely to be a good employee.”
6. The old maxims are still true: “No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a boy” and “Tie a boy to the right man and he almost never goes wrong.”
Do you have thoughts, questions, advice on this topic? Post your stories and comments in the forum for other parents to respond to. Enter the forum now.
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