Parksway's Blog

Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there, especially my daddy.

Just like moms, dads are important to making sure all of us kids grow up to be a a positive influence on the world. Below is an interesting article on the importance of daddy’s love and support followed by some stats that further support this assertion.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158671/Love-father-contributes-childs-development-mother-study-claims.html

Interesting Daddy Stats (Source: National Fatherhood Initiative)

• Children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor. In 2002, 7.8 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 38.4 percent of children in female-householder families.
• Based on birth and death data for 217,798 children born in Georgia in 1989 and 1990, infants without a father’s name on their birth certificate (17.9 percent of the total) were 2.3 times more likely to die in the first year of life compared to infants with a father’s name on their birth certificate.
• Children who live apart from their fathers are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma and experience an asthma-related emergency even after taking into account demographic and socioeconomic conditions.
• Even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent households still had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in mother-father families. Youths who never had a father in the household experienced the highest odds.
• A 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates revealed that 39% of jail inmates lived in mother-only households. Approximately forty-six percent of jail inmates in 2002 had a previously incarcerated family member. One-fifth experienced a father in prison or jail.
• A study of 13,986 women in prison showed that more than half grew up without their father.
• Youths are more at risk of first substance use without a highly involved father. Each unit increase in father involvement is associated with 1% reduction in substance use.
• Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.
• Father involvement in schools is associated with the higher likelihood of a student getting mostly A’s.
• Students living in father-absent homes are twice as likely to repeat a grade in school; 10 percent of children living with both parents have ever repeated a grade, compared to 20 percent of children in stepfather families and 18 percent in mother-only families.
• Half of all children with highly involved fathers in two-parent families reported getting mostly A’s through 12th grade, compared to 35.2% of children of nonresident father families.

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Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there – especially my dad. Mommy and I spent the whole day making daddy feel special. We started things off right by making daddy some breakfast. I was totally putting things in the bowl as mommy told me when we were making waffles. I even added my own special ingredient that only mommy and daddy know and they said they were the best waffles ever because of my special ingredient.

We also went to a movie and went swimming – I wanted to make sure daddy had plenty to do because I notice whenever daddy doesn’t have anything  to do and it’s real quiet he tries to fall asleep on the couch. I’m sure this is because he’s bored so I go out of my way to make lots of noise and have him doing something all the time.  During all this time together, daddy mentioned that one of the best feelings in the world is when I reach for his hand when we cross the street or walk in a busy parking lot. He says that’s the feeling that makes him feel like a dad because he knows I’m depending on him to protect me and to give me the guidance to get wherever we’re going. Hmmm, that sounds sweet and all, but we’re like walking 15 feet to the main entrance of Kroger so slow down Ward Cleaver.

Anyway, Happy Father’s Day!

A little pinch of this and a little pinch of that

Part of the shirt I made for daddy - wonder if this will be as cute when I have a size 13 foot

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