Fatherhood Essay

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FATHERS AND CHILDREN

The preparation and experience most necessary for understanding and valuing a great gift is experiencing its opposite.

-Anonymous

I believe the role of a father is extremely important in the 21st century and beyond in all communities, but especially within the so called African-American Community - where a large portion of the youth come into some contact with the criminal justice system or wind up pregnant before they finish high school. The word father means: a protector, nourisher, a physical and mental provider. As fathers, we are expected to protect and provide for our families.

What happens when the father is absent from the home, when he abandons his responsibilities towards his family, whether he decided to just walk way or he became incarcerated? What happens when he is present as someone to talk to, a guiding light of comfort and security? How important is it for a father, a real man, to give his time and attention to his wife and children and be a positive example within the community? I want to take a few moments to address these very important questions and then share some realistic and practical ways fathers can better connect with their families and deal with the demands of fatherhood in this hectic, and at times, chaotic day and age.

A Pew Research Center analysis titled: “A Tale of Two Fathers: More Are Active, but More Are Absent” (June 15, 2011, Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project), found that over one in four fathers (27%) with kids 18 or younger live away from at least one of their children. In 1960, only 11% of children in the U.S. lived apart from their fathers. By 2010, that share of minor children living apart from their mothers increased only modestly, from 4% in 1960 to 8...

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...ve training curriculum to the general population at several facilities throughout Michigan that consists of - but is not limited to - The Mediation Center (where prisoners are taught certified mediation techniques and skills); Critical Thinking Techniques; Communication Skills; Conflict Resolution Techniques; Parenting Education; Men Concerned with Youth, Family, and Friends; College Scholarship Program; and the Transformation Awards Ceremony. The Chance For Life motto is: Be Ye Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Romans 12:2)
That scripture is very significant to me because... (NOTE: the text continues as written in the original manuscript from paragraph 4. Only paragraphs 1-3 require text deletions.)

REGARDING FAIR USAGE LAWS: ONLY THE FIRST THREE PARAGRAPHS OF THIS CHAPTER REQUIRED A REWRITE (WORD REDUCTION). THE REMAINDER OF THIS CHAPTER STAYS THE SAME.

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