In a recent survey commissioned by the National Center for Fathering, there was an overwhelming positive trend among fathers. From 1999 to 2008 the study indicates that fathers are becoming more involved in the lives of their children. The greatest increases came in the area of walking their kids to school, helping with homework and attending extra curricular activities. Dads are even doing better at having lunch with their kids. However, there are some major areas of concern. The study showed that 38 percent of fathers never read to their children. Additionally, 50 percent of dads never volunteer at their child’s school and 69 percent have never had lunch with their child at school.
“We are excited about the trends we are seeing, but the reality is there are still far too many fathers that are not involved in the lives of their children,” said Carey Casey, CEO for the National Center for Fathering. “This is a serious crisis and it isn’t just a crisis in the inner city, it is in rural America as well as suburbia. It crosses economic, ethnic and social lines. There are fathers who are doing well financially, but they aren’t involved in the lives of their children. The research is clear that lack of father involvement is linked to children experiencing higher rates of poverty, failure in school, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, violent crime, depression and ultimately a loss of hope.”
There are 65 million fathers in America and many of them are not involved in the lives of their children. Studies indicate that 27 million children will go to bed tonight without their biological father in the home.
The National Center for Fathering is issuing a challenge to fathers.
“We want to encourage and inspire men to be involved in the lives of their children,” said Mr. Casey. “We want an additional 10 percent of fathers to step up to the plate and help change the culture by being Championship Fathers.”
Ten percent of Chattanooga metro dads would be approximately 11,000 dads. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they would cover 5.2 miles.
“Imagine what it would be like if all these dads were intentional about being involved in the lives of their children. Our research showed three key fundamentals of a Championship Father: loving, coaching and modeling. To truly make a difference in our culture, fathers also need to encourage other children, and enlist other dads to join the Championship team.”
Championship fathers are:
Loving – They spend time with their children. They talk with them, play with them, give them hugs and nurture them as they grow. A Championship father understands the importance of honoring and respecting the mother of their children even if he is not married to her.
Coaching – A Championship father coaches his children along the way. He teaches his son how a real man should act and he teaches his daughter how she should expect to be treated by a man.
Modeling – Championship fathers model the values he wants to transmit to his children. He isn’t just talking the talk, he is walking the walk and teaching by example.
“We are calling Dads in Chattanooga and across America to get off the sidelines and get in the game when it comes to actively fathering their children,” said Mr. Casey. “If we get to the 10 percent we believe we will see violence go down, kids will stop dropping out of school, girls will be less likely to get pregnant and more young people will have hope for their future. Every child needs a dad they can count on, and Championship Fathering will help you become the father your children need.”
For more information and resources about becoming a Championship Father visit fathers.com or firstthings.org
Julie Baumgardner is the Executive Director of First Things First, an organization dedicated to strengthening marriages and families through education, collaboration and mobilization. She can be reached at julieb@firstthings.org.
