Most people will agree that having an involved father has obvious benefits to children. Many of us have read newspapers and seen TV programs about the benefits of fathers taking part in raising their child by providing love, support, and guidance.

We can also agree that fathers are important because they help to teach children values. Fathers also serve as role models in their children’s lives that affect how well they relate to friends and others outside the home.

The impact of a father starts at a very young age. Even three-month old babies are able to tell the difference between their mother and father. They can differentiate the two by the way each speaks to them, holds them, and by each parent’s particular body odor.

The father can play many roles in the household. The father can be the financial backbone and/or the stay at home dad. The father can be the playmate for the children and the best friend to a spouse.

No matter what hat the father may be wearing, the impact a father can have in the household has staggering implications. Fathers are critical to the development of their sons and daughters and can influence their children in profound ways.

With the divorce rate in America at fifty percent, it is more important today for the father to have a positive impact than ever before. Children who are raised by both parents are more likely to do better in school, and are less likely to use drugs and have sex before marriage.

Growing up, the positive impact my father had on my siblings and I have made us into the adults we are today. Shari, Derrick, and I would never disobey when my father was around. Just the mere fact he was in the house would keep us obedient. We weren’t afraid of our father, but we respected him as head of the household, and that’s what kept us in line.

The influence a father can have seems to be an endless list. Research has shown that children whose fathers are involved in their schooling and academics increase the chances their child will graduate from high school and even attend college.

An involved father lowers the rates of teen violence and other problems with the law. It also is associated with positive child characteristics such as self-esteem, self-control and life skills.

Children who grow up in homes with involved fathers are more likely to take an active role in raising their own families. Fathers who recall a loving relationship with both parents provide a role model for positive parenting, healthy care giving, and a commitment to his own family.

We all want a better society and world to live in.

As our pastor would say, In order to have a better world, we first must have a better country. In order to have a better country, we must have a better state. To have a better state, we need a better city. The way to a better city is to have a better community. The steps to a better community are to have a better home.

It all starts at home, with the father leading the way.

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