An Appeal for Children from Fathers and Families Board Member Mark Benedyk, Ph.D.

As the holiday season draws near, we at Fathers and Families would like to remind you of the main beneficiaries of the work we do–the children of divorce. Divorce and separation are endemic in America today–half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent”s marriage. Of these, close to half will also see the breakup of a parent”s subsequent marriage. Fathers and Families believes children thrive and prosper when they have two loving parents in their lives:

• Compared to living with both parents, living in a single-parent home doubles the risk that a child will suffer physical, emotional, or educational neglect.
• A 2005 study of 3,400 middle schoolers found that not living with both parents quadruples the risk of children having an affective disorder.
• According to a long-term study conducted in the United States and in New Zealand, a father”s absence greatly increases the risk of teen pregnancy, regardless of whether the child was rich or poor, black or white, born to a teen mother or an adult mother, or raised by parents with functional or dysfunctional marriages.
• Even after controlling for community context, there is significantly more drug use among children who do not live with both parents.
• According to a 2004 study, even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent households had significantly higher risk of incarceration than those in mother-father families. Youths who never had a father in the household experienced the highest odds.

Kids need both parents. Make a difference in a child”s life–please give to Fathers and Families today. There are three ways to give:

• Credit card
• PayPal
• Check

If you give by check, please write “Mark” in the memo line. If you give via credit card or pay pal, please email me so I can thank you personally. For more information about giving options, please visit www.fathersandfamilies.org/give. Thank you in advance for your generous support of Fathers and Families. Together with you for the love of our children, Mark Benedyk, Ph.D. Board Member, Fathers and Families San Diego, CA P.S. To learn more about Fathers and Families, please visit www.fathersandfamilies.org.