Dads matter

By Steve Nylin and Jim Brown

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In 1972, President Richard Nixon made Father's Day an official holiday - a day to honor Dad for all he does for the family. However, many kids have little to celebrate.

In Linn County alone. more than 6,000 households have no birth father present.

Over half of Iowa's children are growing up without both parents in the home, which statistically can have startling negative outcomes. Consider national data: 90 percent of all homeless and runaway kids and 85 percent of all youth in prison come from fatherless homes.

Incarceration and homelessness statistics may reflect more extreme circumstances but a high majority of high school dropouts, pregnant teenagers, and children living in poverty all come from fatherless homes as well.

Young Parents Network (YPN), based in Cedar Rapids, recognizes that the father's role is critical. Since 1988, fathers have been invited to attend the “Dads Group” where information is shared, including the trials and triumphs of fatherhood - and the triumphs can be magnificent.

For one YPN dad, reading was a challenge because of his learning disability that was generated in part from the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. At group, he learned about the importance of early literacy and how he could help by reading to his children.

This dad began going to the library and checking out audio books, which he would memorize and then “read” to his son. Over time, Dad's reading skills improved and he now reads to his son nightly.

This story represents a great success, and the even better news is that we as a community can make these stories become more common - the norm versus exception. However, this change will not occur until we as a society do something to reverse the troubling trend of absent fathers.

Father's Day is not the only day we can continue to make dads important. Whether you are an organization that works with families, a business that employs parents, a mom or dad who may be present or otherwise, we must find a way as a community to respond to getting more dads back in the equation.

It starts with us as individuals recognizing that with involved fathers' children are more successful in school both academically and socially, and are more likely to finish at least high school.

Additionally, kids with present dads are less likely to participate in “risky” behaviors such as substance use, delinquency, and early sexual behavior. The facts are hard to dispute: positive, strong and engaged dads equate healthy, productive, successful youth.

Here in Cedar Rapids and surrounding metro communities, we are not standing idly while there is work to be done around the issue of absent fathers. Many times concerned individuals have shared with us that there is a lack of resources for men who are working to be better, more involved dads.

YPN, along with other like-minded area organizations, formed the Eastern Iowa Alliance for Fatherhood and Children to assist with this struggle. The Alliance provides education and resources to agencies, organizations and individuals who want to improve the lives of our children by facilitating greater fatherhood involvement.

To learn more, please visit www.NowBeADad.com

Steve Nylin of Cedar Rapids is a Dad's Program specialist with the Young Parents Network. Married married with three children. he and his wife, Linda, are Boy Scout Leaders and active with the PTSA at school. Jim Brown, direct marketing consulting firm owner, is married to Cindy Reece and has two children. Jim and Cindy have been YPN volunteers since 2007 and Jim is a Dads Group facilitator. Comments: snylin@youngparentsnetwork.org and dmsolutions4u@live.com