How many of you recall the Eminem song, “The Real Slim Shady?” In the song Eminem asks, “Will the real slim shady please stand up?” This week we’re not asking the real slim shady to stand up, we’re asking for all the “Real Fathers” to please stand up.
We have a lot of problems in our country: gun violence, crime, poverty, incarceration, and mental/behavioral health just to name a few. These are complex issues that do not have an easy solution. However, I believe we must tackle an already large and continuing to grow problem: absent fathers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 24 million, or close to one out of every three children in our country, live in fatherless home. Stop for a second and think about that. One of out of every three. An article from the Washington Times claims the rate for fatherless homes was only 11% in 1960. Why do we seem to have so many more societal problems today than we did 40-50 years ago? I think we begin to see how the crisis of fatherless homes has affected our society.