Absent Fathers
Absent Fathers These days it is not uncommon for children to grow up in a single-mother household with little or no contact from their fathers. I was one of those children. When I was younger I never understood why my dad didn’t want me or why he would take part in conceiving me if he didn’t even care to know who I was. Every year I waited for a phone call, birthday wishes, or a Christmas card, and sadly got nothing. Being raised by a single mother is said to be a cause of some of our country’s most serious social problems. In Quassan T. Castros article, My Father, No Show, he tells us how curious he was about who his absent father is. When Castro gets in contact with his father and explains to him the circumstances under which he was conceived he realizes that his dad was promiscuous and not willing to make an effort to get to know him. He was angry that his father didn’t accept him but didn’t let that hold him back from “spiritual growth”. All Castro wanted as a child is to have his father in his life. In the article he mentions that his mother was strong enough to be both mother and father but as he got closer to adulthood he became more curious. Children of absent fathers tend to feel like they are missing out on something. The man in the family represents strength, teaches leadership, and shows their children many life lessons. Not having a father around can leave many questions unanswered. In some communities it has become acceptable for men to father children and take no responsibility for them. Men sometimes have legitimate reasons for not being around but not often enough. Young boys that have children are lead to believe they don’t have to take care of them sometimes by media and other times by the opinions of others. Because they are not the one that has to carry the baby and give birth to it they feel like their off the hook. In reality, it does not work that way. Most men that choose to not take care of their children or that don’t have