Sixty percent of kids in Richmond, Virginia, are without a dad in the home, reports First Things First of Greater Richmond.First Things First works to help men become actively involved in their children’s lives in Richmond, Virginia, because, as the group explains, often “it’s the fathers that leave the family.… [W]e have a major father absenteeism issue in Richmond.”
Across the nation, over one-quarter of all children live in single-parent households. Most of these children live with their mothers.
President Obama well understands why fathers are so essential for children. He grew up in a single-mother household. Last month, as he addressed the all-male graduating class of Morehouse College, he emphasized the importance of fathers, saying:
I have tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me. I want to break that cycle.
When children do not have stable relationships with their dads, marked by frequent involvement, they are more susceptible to depression and are more likely to abuse drugs, or demonstrate delinquent behavior.