June 17, 2018 by Robert Franklin, Member, National Board of Directors, National Parents Organization
Today we celebrate fathers. We should do so more often, but this is fathers’ special day. Fathers are vital to children and children’s well-being. They’re vital to the well-being of the adults children become. That means they’re vital to the health and well-being of society. And yet, in many ways, we marginalize fathers in children’s lives. That is our society’s gravest error. We see its consequences every day in our educational system, suicide figures, crime, addiction, emotional deficits and the like. Like mothers, fathers are special. They bring special benefits to children. They are irreplaceable. Today, we must rededicate ourselves to rectifying the many ways in which this society denigrates and sidelines fathers. The science on our need for active, involved fathers is by now beyond question, so we must bring public policy and law into line with that science.
Today is just a single day. But every day of every year, we should be doing our utmost to bring fathers and children where they belong – together.