A current human growth topic is the changing American family. Single parents, gay parents, and blended families are examples of some of the lifestyles that are becoming more common. The question we most often address is: How do certain family configurations affect the developing child? However, when it comes to definitive answers, there are few. Plus, it seems that (in my class at least) we tend to skirt the issues and candy coat the consequences so as not to offend anyone. Is this the right approach?

When reading The State today, I came across a straightforward message from Senator Barack Obama. Warren Bolton, associate editor, quotes Obama as saying “There are a lot of men out there who need to stop acting like boys; who need to realize that responsibility does not end at conception; who need to know that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.”

Bolton states that Obama is bringing attention to one of the “biggest impediments to strong families and productive stable children” and goes on to say that children growing up without fathers have a tougher time succeeding and becoming well-rounded. They’re more likely “to become pregnant at an early age, be high school dropouts, use drugs or become juvenile delinquents.” Fatherhood is important because it’s related to employment, education, poverty and other key issues America faces.



Fatherhood is related to tomorrow. Do single parents understand this? I appreciate the Senator's hard-hitting honesty and Bolton's invitation to absent fathers to "do something they aren't known for doing--man up."