After Father's Day this was very sobering:
"The extent of the problem is clear. The nation's out-of-wedlock birth rate is 38%. Among white children, 28% are now born to a single mother; among Hispanic children it is 50% and reaches a chilling, disorienting peak of 71% for black children. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly a quarter of America's white children (22%) do not have any male in their homes; nearly a third (31%) of Hispanic children and over half of black children (56%) are fatherless.
This represents a dramatic shift in American life. In the early 1960s, only 2.3% of white children and 24% of black children were born to a single mom. Having a dad, in short, is now a privilege, a ticket to middle-class status on par with getting into a good college."
The article continues with:
"The odds increase for a child's success with the psychological and financial stability rooted in having two parents. Having two parents means there is a greater likelihood that someone will read to a child as a preschooler, support him through school, and prevent him from dropping out, as well as teaching him how to compete, win and lose and get up to try again, in academics, athletics and the arts. Maybe most important of all is that having a dad at home is almost a certain ticket out of poverty; because about 40% of single-mother families are in poverty."
I've always viewed my life as a fairly normal, typical, middle class life. It is sad that so many children grew up not knowing both their parents.
(Hat tip Joanne Jacobs)
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2 comments:
I read results of another statistical study a couple of years ago (probably by George Barna - I can't find it, but it was in some Lifeway literature) that suggested a child born today has a 16% chance of making it to age 18 with both original parents still married(with continuing trends).
Wow, that is scary.
At times it seems like there are many who are actively working to destroy families. My belief is that many are really misguided, but their actions seem to be looking for ways to harm families, which means that children suffer.
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