Fatherhood matters

Excellent article here about the disadvantages faced by kids who grow up without a father.

I think the first line is most poignant:

Call it one of those simple yet profound truths: only a father can help a boy become a man. And only a daddie can teach a girl about healthy male-female relationships.

While I don't think it's true that only a dad can help a son or daughter reach his or her full potential, it's way more likely if the positive male role model in a child's life is their biological father. This is why I think the state should not engage in policies that undermine that undeniable fact. To have society, through government, say that kids are as well off with two moms, two dads, or just a mom and a child support cheque as they would be with a mom and a dad is first of all false, and secondly, obviously ignorant of the facts. If you think fatherhood matters, or if you think motherhood matters, you should believe that a male-female relationship is the best framework in which to raise babies. Yes, there are a lot of good parents who are not able to raise kids in a traditional situation due to disrupted marriages, premature deaths, sexual orientation, or a myriad of other factors, but the bottom line is that kids have the best chance of success when both opposite-sex parents, in a loving and committed relationship, are present in the raising of the child. As the article above shows, it's time that we stop pretending otherwise as a society and saying that it's just as OK for a kid to grow up without a dad as it is for them to grow up with one.