I Don't Have a Dad

"It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father." - St. Pope John XXIII

This quote came alive for me as I was babysitting during a parenting class nearly two years ago. Toward the end of it, a vibrant six-year-old boy suddenly became quiet and went under a table. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, “I don’t want to tell you because you won’t believe me.” He said it was something bad. I explained as best I could that as a lay counselor, I listen to people about good and bad things. He stood up, looked at me with sad eyes, and blurted, “I don’t have a dad.” I froze, conflicted between my sadness about him being raised in a fatherless home,  and my grief as I had lost my father a few weeks before. I don’t have a dad either, I wanted to tell him, but the class was ending, so I gave him a small hug and waited for his mother to arrive.

Children need their fathers, now more than ever, to learn how to become strong, wise and faithful people of God. Statistics show that children who grow up without fathers generally have a poorer outcome in life. My late father, who was not perfect by any means, was a guiding force in my life and his presence shaped my future.

We need to remind ourselves that as parents, we are stewards of God’s children worthy of love and deserving of respect. They are not our property to use. We have the power to break the cycle of broken families and poverty, but we must stand courageous and be intentional in the fight against our sinful natures. If we do not, the consequences have been and will continue to be overwhelming.

I am reminded of Galatians 6:7 that speaks to this: “Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows…”

What does the future hold for that little boy, and for all God's children?