The Other Side of the Story- “Misconceptions of the Absentee Father” What is an Absentee father? How does the “label” of being an absentee parent affect the person in question? These are all things that some may often wonder or even care about. “Whereas most absentee fathers usually remain silent for their actions, some maintain a strong stance that the reason for their absence is simply not their fault. They often blame others for their role as a father figure, or lack thereof in the life of their children. Everyone’s story and everyone’s journey is different. Our day to day actions and the way we engage and interact with others is truly up to us. This is no different for a Father and how they chose to parent. It has been a little difficult …show more content…
These men often come from broken homes themselves and they never had that steadfast, male role model in their own life as they were growing up. This can be a key factor in how they parent, or not pare their children. The phrase” you don’t know, what you don’t know” comes to mind when these types of characteristics are discussed. The next reason that these “Ghost fathers” (Brown 2009) may not be in their children’s life is somewhat complex. They are always trying to do better; get a better job, find a better house and even better themselves. The men I this category may have often suffered from a former addition or even a current one and now they are working on themselves. They spend so much time trying to make their life better, so they can be a good father that they lose sight of why they are changing in the first place. They break promises, other things get in the way and they just never show up; physically or emotionally. This is the most frustrating kind of absentee father, because there is false hope. These men are filled with reasons on why they cannot be present in the life of their children. All the while, they may not realize what they are
The concepts that Kathleen Genson discusses reinforces the analysis Kramer presented in Chapter 4 “The Family and Intimate Relationships” of The Sociology of Gender. First and foremost, both authors would agree that family is a structure that institutionalizes and maintains gender norms. Both authors would also agree that “families tend to be organized around factors that the individual members cannot control.” In Genson’s chapter “Dilemmas of Involved Fatherhood,” the most prominent forces are the economy and social expectations, both listed and explained by Kramer. Genson’s explanation of how it is unfeasible for men to withdraw from the workforce and focus more time and energy on being involved fathers is an example of the economic factors.
To begin, being a father allows an individual to have an impact on their offspring. Sometimes, however, their decisions negatively impact their children. Literary expert Mitch Albom suggests...
"Father absence and the welfare of children." Coping with divorce, single parenting, and remarriage: A risk and resiliency perspective (1999): 117-145.
A father’s role in a child’s life is extremely important when it comes to a child’s development. With so much emphasis placed on young black boys needing their fathers during crucial developmental ages, the rate of our young black girls growing up without fathers is staggering and overlooked. What is an absent father? The definition is quite simple; an absent father can be defined as a father who is not present in the life of their child whether it is physically, emotionally, or both. Although the absence of a father is detrimental in any child’s life, the absence of such in a young black girl’s life is even more crucial. The absent father in a black girl’s life leads to, in some cases, promiscuity and teenage pregnancy, poverty, and emotional affects such as feelings of unworthiness and unable to be loved, fear of abandonment, and issues with rejection and commitment. The ways in which they view the opposite sex, the outside world and their self are forever tainted as a result of missing the key element of a father.
The father’s upbringing was such that financial stability was the priority. The child learned that dads are busy and do not have time to spend with their children. What a devastating realization for a child to conclude. Yet like most little boys, this one wanted to grow up to be like his role model, no matter the example. During the time from childhood to adolescent, parental influence can be either beneficial or detrimental. If the parents have a stable home, clear boundaries and open communications with their teens, the transition could flow easier. The perfect father does not guarantee the child will not rebel.
Fatherless has been one of the most important challenges and epidemics in our generation. The effects of growing up...
Although single parenthood is on the rise in homes today, children still often have a father role in their life. It does not matter who the part is filled by: a father, uncle, older brother, grandfather, etc...; in almost all cases, those relationships between the father (figure) and child have lasting impacts on the youth the rest of their lives. In “I Wanted to Share My Father’s World,” Jimmy Carter tells the audience no matter the situation with a father, hold onto every moment.
In David Blankenhorn’s book written in 1995, he brings to light what he calls “America’s fundamental problem”: our culture of fatherlessness. Our modern day view of fathers is that they are unnecessary both in society and in the upbringing of a child. Blankenhorn argues the contrary: the only way to solve the multitude of social problems present in America is to address the common denominator, the decline of fathers and the shrinking importance of fatherhood. Blankenhorn’s book is split into three parts: Part I: Fatherlessness, Part II: The Cultural Script and Part III: Fatherhood. In Fatherlessness, he provides the history of fatherhood and includes statistics that help to illustrate the transition of the father from head of the household to being “almost entirely a Sunday institution” (pg. 15).
It is estimated that 50 percent of all American marriages end in divorce, and that 22 million children in the United States alone live without a father. My parents added to these numbers in 2002, when I was only 5 years old. My mother raised me solely. When I was young, I spent every other weekend traveling eight hours round trip to see my father, but for the past five years I’ve only seen him sparsely — maybe three or four times annually.
For a child, having only one parent is tough but can be understood if that parent is missing due to divorce or death, as bad as those reasons are; yet the psychological effect for the child who is purposely betrayed then abandoned by a parent is devastating and can last a lifetime, affecting every future relationship. In this story, the father is that parent.
Throughout the United States, more than one-third of children don't live with their biological fathers, and about 17 million of those children don't live with any father at all. Of those, roughly 40 percent haven't seen their fathers in the last year. The over 500 Father's Rights organizations are trying in a variety of ways to change these statistics because they believe that fathers are necessary to the intellectual, psychological and emotional well- being of all children. "Family values" groups encourage long lasting stable, marriages and tough divorce laws to increase the number of two- parent households. Some organizations focus on reasonable child support and visitation, as well as creative joint custody arrangements to combat fatherless ness after divorce. Still other sects within the movement encourage responsible fatherhood through counseling for "Deadbeat" or "Dead-broke" Dads, job training and placement to increase the likelihood of child support payments and educational seminars to teach men how to be emotionally supportive fathers. The unique coalition of conservative pro-marriage groups, white middle-class divorcées and low- income fathers is an unusual alliance. But regardless of philosophical and tactical differences, the essential mission is the same- to improve the relationship between our nation's fathers and their children.
“Fathers love their children as much as mothers. It’s offensive that a loving, caring father is labeled a “noncustodial parent” (Smith). In a New York City Family court, Watts v. watts was announced, “The simple fact of being a mother does not, by itself, indicate a capacity or willingness to render a quality of care different from that which the father can provide” 350 N.Y.S. 2d 285 (1973). Why does there seem to be a bias in child custody cases? “Dads want their day” states that many divorced fathers believe that courts have still not heard their message and that they believe they are fighting against an anti-father bias. Father’s rights advocates and other groups are influencing several states to give the father a chance or to at least support joint custody. The most effective advocates for father’s rights may be those situated outside the movement. As fathers rights groups rise case law is shifting and becoming more father-friendly in child custody.. There are actually statistics that show that “children raised by single mothers fare poorly compared to kids raised by both parents or by single fathers” (Smith). Also it states that if joint custody is not possible, “kids are generally better off w...
Dr. Haim Ginott, a renowned Psychologist, mentor and a teacher once remarked, “Children are like wet cement; whatever falls on them makes an impression.” Thus, the effects of absent fathers on children may in fact, shape their perception of the world around them. Even though developing a stronger relationship with one parent is an effect of absenteeism fathers, it also comes with the challenges of engaging in early sexual activities, diminished cognitive development and poor school performance, which are effects exhibited by many daughters.
When someone thinks about the definition of a father, he or she thinks about the support, care, love, and knowledge a father gives to his offspring. Most people automatically believe that biological fathers, along with the mothers, raise their children. However, that is not always the case. There are many children across the world who are raised without their father. These children lack a father figure. People do not realize how detrimental the lack of a father figure can be to the child, both mentally and emotionally. Enrolling boys between the ages of 5 to 16 without father figures in programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, that involve building a relationship with someone who can serve as a role model is essential to prevent males from depression, difficulty in expressing emotions, and other consequences of having an absent father figure.
The role of a father in his child’s life extends past the knowledge of far too many, and can oftentimes be eclipsed by the role of the mother. Although the mother’s role is essential and greatly valued in a child’s life and development, the father plays a significant role as well. No mother can fill the father’s place in a child’s heart, for fathers nurture and play differently than a mother. Several studies show that an attendant and highly involved father is critical, especially in the early stages of a child’s life. The absence of a father during this stage can lead to “impaired social and behavioral abilities in adults” (Robert, 2013). But what is the role of the father? This paper discusses the role of the expectant father, the birth experience for him, the transition into fatherhood, and the rise of single fathers.