Despite the number of statistics pointing to a wealth of disadvantages children face in a single parent home, 72 percent of African-American children are born out-of-wedlock. Of all single parent homes in the US, more than 80 percent are headed by women. In the Black community alone, the absence of a father figure has reached epidemic proportions, with some states reporting more than 80 percent of black fathers being absent from the home.
Research attributes the absence of a father in the household to a spike in crime, especially among black boys and men. In 2008 and 2009, gun homicide was the number one cause of death for black boys and men between the ages of 15-19, with most of the murders being carried out by another African-American male. Oftentimes, African-Americans will say black boys “especially” need their father in the household, indicating that girls stand a better chance of being successful without their father’s presence. Statistically speaking, that’s not true. While girls may not engage in as much violence as boys, there are other emotional, educational, and financial obstacles they face with the absence of a father figure.
Rodney Jones, a dedicated husband and father of Houston, TX, wrote a touching Facebook status on Wednesday that exudes the magnitude of influence a father has on his daughter. Read the touching status below:
Gm FB, I had a revelation this morning. I finally realize why God called me to raise a girl! I always thought I would have a boy, and couldn’t understand why all the guys I ran wit growing up had little girls. But it makes sense now. Short story- this weekend I took my wife and daughter to the park. As we were walking I stopped and picked up three little flowers from the grass for each of us. After the ahh’s were exchanged I thought my glory was over. But here’s where it gets interesting, after a few seconds I shoved my flower in my sweatshirt pocket and forgot about it. My wife put her flower in her hair, and my daughter twirled her flower all the way to the park. When we got there she made me hold her flower as she got on the swing. Carelessly I attempted to set the flower down on a number of occasions, but she would scream if she saw I wasn’t holding the flower. Periodically she would run back to check on her flower as she played. When it was time to go, she asked for the flower back and twirled it all the way home. When we got home, i gave her a juice box and packed her in the car to run some errands. As we drive off she fell asleep, she dropped the juice box (all over my freshly cleaned carpet, may I add) but she held the flower tight even though she was knocked out. Before I took her limp body out the car, I tried to pry the flower out her hand. She groaned as if to say I got this, just get me out this car and laid her head on my shoulder flower in hand. Being the man I am, I went on not thinking anything of it. Here it is 3 days later and it finally dawns on me how significant that small exchange was for my daughter. Girls cherish and hold on to the special things we do for them, no matter how small. Guys with daughters remember that, and make sure you don’t carelessly drop or push your little flower to the side! God bless!!
article courtesy of Joy105.com
A Very Touching FB Post! was originally published on praisecleveland.com
