Fear for the fatherless

A balanced home life is crucial as parents are entrusted with the responsibility of raising a child. Unfortunately, the “traditional” family is becoming less common as the number of children who are raised in fatherless households increases.

In 2012, The Washington Post reported that one in three American children lives without a father–this is up from a mere 11 percent of children in the 1960s.
Earlier this year, political activist Mark Meckler reported that 26 out of the 27 biggest mass shootings in the U.S. were committed by fatherless children. Meckler said, “It’s not toxic masculinity hurting them, it’s the fact that when they come home there are no fathers there.” He explained how today’s societal pressures only amplify the problem.

“Add that to a bunch of horrible cultural trends telling them that everything bad is good (gang culture, drugs, misogyny, etc.), and we’ve got a serious problem on our hands,” he said.

Janelle Hester, a social worker for PV, provided insight in regards to the psychological effects on children raised in fatherless families. She said, “One most negative things growing up in a single parent family is the feeling of abandonment and of blame.”

Hester explained that all children are thrown into a state of confusion and anger when their parents separate and will often blame themselves. She added that since males have significantly more testosterone than females, it is the male children who will respond more harshly.

Male children who harbor strong emotions and anger will experience a significantly higher amount of mental trauma than female children. Although time does heal wounds, according to Hester, a child will never fully recover from the pain of losing their father.

Vincent DiCaro, the vice president of the National Fatherhood Initiative, said, “Deal with absent fathers, and the rest follows.”