Vital role of fathers
It appears the Labour Party has been hiding a closet "family man" in its midst all this time, in the form of John Hutton, the Works & Pensions Secretary.
He is apparently the product of a "single parent family" and therefore well aware of the advantages which two parents can provide in a family so deprived.
He has stated that the "young prosper in a stable family with two parents, that a family is the bedrock of society, which the State should never attempt to replace".
Truly expressed sentiments which will not endear him to his political masters, but can only have been spoken by one who has experienced such deprivation.
A recent newspaper report read: "Social scientists across the political spectrum tell us that father absence is a stronger predictor of criminal behaviour than family income, education or race." A veteran judge in the US wrote an article entitled "The Nine Words That Can Stop Juvenile Delinquency". Those nine words were "Put Father back at the head of the family".
This is not meant in any way to demean the role of single mothers who struggle against enormous odds to provide the best for their children.
There are, however, some voices in our society which actively demean the attributes of masculinity. A few of these are women who mistakenly believe that they can build their own feminist agendas by tearing down the image of manhood and belittling masculinity.
Women can be superior to men in so many ways, so how much more satisfying it would be for them to build support for masculinity in front of their children, and not leave them deprived of this essential element in their up bringing.
Fathers are human and frequently make mistakes and need love, support and understanding from their female counterparts when both are attempting to act as loving parents.
For most, single parenthood is not a lifestyle choice, but it requires fathers and mothers considering living apart to think how they can best continue to provide an active role and the essential parental guidance for their children.
John Tilley, Mease Avenue, Burntwood.
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