Today I'd like to enunciate the importance of a father.

In our society, it really seems like we overlook the father's role in influencing a child. Feminists pridefully claim they don't need a man and that single motherhood is the way to go. They claim that a father's role in their child is insignificant and negligible.

Don't get me wrong, mothers are extremely important as far as their role in child development. But in our evaluation of parental roles, it can seem common to overlook the crucial role a father figure plays as well.

Make no mistake: years of research and countless studies have shown that children that come from single-parent households are statistically worse off than children that come from double parent households. Obviously, the circumstances are different for fathers who abandon their children. But in the end, a child truly needs both a mother and father and the research shows just that.

Mothers and fathers are oftentimes opposing forces. The mother is caring, nurturing, and protective. The father is tough, strict, and stern.

This isn't always the case, but there are always opposing forces. A child needs both sides of this to truly develop. Sometimes a kid needs to be coddled and cared for, and sometimes a kid needs to be told to behave or reprimanded.

Likewise, a kid needs someone to hold him when he cries and someone to play baseball with for hours. One person can act as both, but it's much harder.

The problems with poorer areas of the country can also be traced back to single motherhood. Children who live in single-parent households usually have only one source of income. They most likely will have to drop out of high school to support themselves and work. Dreams of getting into college are marred by the reality of minimum wage jobs since they can't get anything better without at least a high school diploma.

And then the cycle of poverty repeats.

The root cause for these single-parent households vary, but in many communities, especially African American communities, the father usually abandons his family early on. This is a complicated issue, but personally, I think dead-beat dads are scum.

The statistics are in support of these claims: "63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average. 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average. 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Center for Disease Control). 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26). 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)."

Instead of making everything a competition and setting mother and father against each other in a race, why don't we just accept that each role contributes fundamentally to a child's development? After all, the care taking of your child isn't a competition, it's a partnership. Children deserve both a mother and a father, and anything less than that is a shame.

For those of you who have a father and a mother, take a moment to appreciate having and growing up in a household with both. Many in the world wish for a father or a mother. In the end, many people will come from fatherless homes and it is our job as a society to find a solution to this growing problem.