Single moms facing greater challenges

Happy Mother's Day to those who qualify for the honor. Those of us blessed - and that is the correct word - with a loving and caring mother know exactly what advantage we enjoy in life by having that strong, devoted woman who looks beyond our flaws. Dads may well be considered the king of the house but the foundation for that house is more often than not the mother.

Like it or not, in many lower-income and minority households, the daddy is often absent. Statistics from the Census Bureau prove this sad state of affairs to be accurate. And many social scientists point to the lack of a male role model as the leading cause of youth crime and violence.

"Who's Your Daddy?" is a new catch phrase that means many things to many people. But underlying that silly little caption is a reality of life. Sometimes the daddy is a nameless, faceless person who carries little to no responsibility for your upbringing. The odds of overcoming that beginning are far too often stacked against children raised in those households.

But despite the fact that today we celebrate motherhood, maybe we also need to ask, "Where's Your Mamma?" If you accept that a male role model is often not present in a household, you still have to wonder where the mother is when these kids run afoul of the law.

In an ideal world - and ours is not - two loving parents would provide the support and the life lessons for the youngsters today. In a less than ideal world, at least a mother would be present to provide those very same lessons. But with the number of cases in our community and elsewhere involving youngsters, maybe it's appropriate to ask, "Where's Your Mamma?"

Granted, we place an almost unbearable burden on a single female raising children. There can be no greater challenge under the sun than that singular task. As is the case with all things, some women will do a better job than others. The same can certainly be said for the single parent household headed by a male.

But the numbers are overwhelmingly tilted in the direction of a single-parent household being headed by a female. Overwhelmingly!

I mean not to put a damper on this special day. I am beyond grateful to have been raised in a family with a strong, loving and devoted mother. I give thanks for that each and every day of my life.

But in those often sad situations when a female is the sole provider, there are occasions when the kids run astray that maybe we should ask "Where Your Mamma?" Maybe the answer to that question will help us understand why youth crime remains high.