If You Only Knew

There were a lot of guys in my high school who didn’t get along with their dads. Every day they’d complain about their fathers being strict and overbearing. And all I could do was think, “If you guys only knew how good you have it.”

At the time, I lived with my older brother Dave. He was a good brother, but he was no father figure. He didn’t set boundaries or establish any rules. And a curfew? Of course not. “Two or three in the morning should be fine,” he’d say.

My situation may have looked good to my friends from the outside, but I hated it. I would have gladly put up with too many rules if it meant having a dad at home.

And believe it or not, most kids feel the same way. In a poll by the National Center for Fathering, 92% of people say fathers are crucial to the health and well-being of children. And the vast majority believe absentee dads are the biggest social problem facing the United States today. According to almost every scientific measure available, kids with dads do better. It really is that simple!

So, dads, don’t ever let the busyness of life or negative messages in the media make you wonder whether or not you matter. You do! The research says so. And so do all the people like me who spent their childhood wishing they had a dad at home.