The issues that parents face in the modern society can be maddening, in the manner in which they are constantly changing with the culture of a new generation. Raising children today requires the effort and input of two parents more than ever to enable success, but in today’s world there are more single parent families than ever, along with more crime, drug use and domestic violence. Unfortunately, the duty of raising children often befalls a mother without the assistance of a mate, and the circumstance usually has the most negative impact on the children. A father’s absence from the home may be temporary such as occasional trips for business, or constant, in situations of divorce, death, or the refusal to accept parental responsibility.
A father’s absence for whatever reason most effects the children in the area of learning what a functional family unit is. A child cannot help but realize that their home life is not "normal" in comparison to other children, and the basic component of having a concerned father is missing from their daily life. In activities where a father is usually present, a child from a single parent home is painfully aware that a valuable aspect of the family relationship is amiss, regardless of how wonderful a parent the mother may be. The sense of loss attributable to a father’s absence may take years for a child to understand and conquer, and sadly some children never do. Confused children can become emotionally damaged adults eventually, and the importance of a father’s absence should not be dismissed as a simple fact of life.
Children residing in a single parent household have only one role model, one confidant, one disciplinarian and one shoulder to lean upon when the going gets tough. A father’s absence leaves male children with no male direction in how a boy becomes a man, and female children have no example of what a good man is in a committed relationship. In many instances of an absent father the children are in some cases left to their own devices and can mature too soon due to facing the realities of life at a young age. The parental supervision that all children require constantly is diminished and lacking when a father is absent, simply because the mother cannot be everywhere at once.
Because a father’s absence impacts the quality of life for the mother in terms of an added burden and responsibility being placed upon her, stress, mood swings and minor personality changes in the mother have a domino effect on the children. The sudden absence of a father from the home can cause changes in the mother, adding further distress to children that may begin to distance themselves from both parents.
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