There is a such a dire need for fathers to mentor young men and for seasoned fathers to mentor younger fathers. I am praying that men in the Body of Christ will step up to fulfill this desperate need. Godly fathers are out there somewhere!

I’m currently reading, “Bringing Up Boys” by Dr. James Dobson. The statistics he presents are scary. Here’s just one, “Only 34 percent of all children born in America will live with both biological parents through age eighteen.” (pg. 54, Bringing Up Boys) In addition, Dr. Dobson also says that 62 percent of mothers with children under three are employed and 72 percent of mothers with children under eighteen currently hold jobs. He says, “This busyness of mothers combined with the non-involvement of fathers means that too often, there is nobody home! No wonder boys are in such a mess today!” (pg. 54) These are statistics from the United States but Canada will be similar. Fatherlessness is an issue for both countries and it’s not just that, it’s non-involved or disconnected fathers that is an issue; they’re in the home but they are too busy or selfish to actually be a father or they simply don’t know what their responsibility and role is. Men have not learned what it means to be a Godly father; likely because their father was also uninvolved. It’s a cycle on repeat that needs to stop! Mentoring and learning is a great solution but we NEED good Godly men to step up and meet the need.

There is so much I could quote from Dr. Dobson’s book to drive the point home. He says, “While children of all ages — both male and female — have an innate need for contact with their fathers, let me emphasize again that boys suffer most from the absence or noninvolvement of fathers. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, boys without fathers are twice as likely to drop out of school, twice as likely to go to jail, and nearly four times as likely to need treatment for emotional and behavioral problems as boys with fathers……. Boys are in trouble today primarily because their parents, and especially their dads, are distracted, overworked, harassed, exhausted, disinterested, chemically dependent, divorced, or simply unable to cope.” (pg. 55)

“Dr. William Pollack, Harvard psychologist and author of Real Boys, concludes that divorce is difficult for children of both sexes but it is devastating for males. He says the basic problem is the lack of discipline and supervision in the father’s absence and his unavailability to teach what it means to be a man. Pollack also believes fathers are crucial in helping boys to manage their emotions. As we have seen, without the guidance and direction of a father, a boy’s frustration often leads to varieties of violence and other antisocial behavior.” (pg. 56)

“Sociologist Peter Karl believes that because boys spend up to 80 percent of their time with women, they don’t know how to act as men when they grow up. When that happens, the relationship between the sexes is directly affected. Men become helpless and more and more like big kids.” (pg. 56) It’s an interesting read and I agree with everything in it.The answer is not to soften boys and teach them to be more like women, which is a message that seems to be out there now, but to teach them how to be Godly men… And this is best taught by other men who get it and have lived it themselves. Boys need to be taught what their responsibility as a man is, how to manage their strong emotions and urges, how to treat people, especially women, how God has made them and what their strengths are. They also need to run with Godly men doing manly things that they enjoy, releasing their inner manliness; whatever that is (you see as a woman I don’t even know how to articulate it!). You know what I’m talking about. It’s that inner drive that makes them want to wrestle it out on the living room floor or race each other to the corner or turn a friendly game of dodge ball into an intense, aggressive competition, all in the name of fun. Boys need men and they absolutely need involved Godly fathers. Men, I am begging you, for the sake of our boys, STEP UP.