Fathers provide love and counseling like no other

Happy Father’s Day!

It’s hard to overstate the importance of a male role model in the lives of our children. Though I dislike recounting statistics, the numbers are crystal clear.

A child in a household with a male role model is much more likely to stay out of trouble, to do well in school and to become a productive member of society.

Yet the reality is that an increasing number of homes are occupied by a single parent — almost always a mother — and the prospects for success are diminished.

Granted, there are substantial exceptions to that statistics. We all know of children who were raised by a single parent and still thrive in all aspects of life.

But facts are facts.

So we set aside this one day each year to honor and recognize the fathers in our lives. It hardly seems enough.

For those of us blessed — and the right word is indeed blessed — we fully understand the guidance, the counseling and the love provided by a father in the home.

Young boys especially need that shining star to help guide their lives and point them in the right direction for success.

The societal problem of nonexistent fathers is highlighted especially in our urban communities. Some statistics in some urban areas show that up to 80 percent of children there are being raised in a single-parent household.

And rest assured, there is a direct connection between higher crime, lower school achievement and government dependency in those homes without an engaged father.

This will be my first Father’s Day without my Dad. And even though that brings sadness, I also recognize that I was blessed with a father much longer than most.

And for that, I am most grateful.

Politicians bemoan several aspects of modern society and arrive at solutions that rarely work. These same politicians speak of declining school achievement and increased crime and skyrocketing drug use.

But the central issue is always avoided. And that is the lack of a steadying influence in the home by a male role model.

Maybe it’s time we arrive at a plan that rewards in some manner two-parent households. It would not be an easy solution but it would be a major step in the right direction.

And unless we address this issue, we’ll continue to see this societal decline and we’ll continue to pay a high cost.