Absent Father

The Effect of An Absent Father on A Child’s Life: Minor or Major? Today, there are 20 million children in America who grow up in households without a father. In addition, this is an increasing problem in today’s society and is often ignored. Children who grow up without a father suffer shocking consequences, which are unfortunately out of the child’s control. In “Annual review of sociology” (2013), recent studies show that relationships with a father while growing up affect the child’s mental health, family formation, education, and labor success (Schneider, Tach, & McLanahan). This argues that a father plays an important role in their children’s life. A child, is more likely to inhibit negative behavior and antisocial tendencies, which
Children who do not know how to cope with their negative feelings associated with a father’s absence or leaving, are more likely to express them in unhealthy ways. These effects may range in levels of seriousness depending on a given situation. A child does not know how to cope with their negative feelings associated with their father leaving: the child is more likely to have negative behaviors and antisocial tendencies. To some, this topic is controversial and hard to accept due to the nature and reality of this subject. Minority opinions argue that having greater responsibilities at home, teenage children from single-parent families often exhibit more confidence. For example, according to Pros and Cons in Single-Parent Families: Benefits for the Children, having had to care for themselves, and sometimes younger siblings, teenagers from single-parent homes have built confidence in their abilities (Universal Class Inc, 1999). Though this may be true, more abnormal responsibilities that fall on the child such as, playing a parental role in a younger sibling's life, result increased stress. Even if a father’s absence leaves more responsibilities for a child that are said to create confidence, there are greater, negative behavioral issues that
According to a study in “Parental divorce and the well-being of children”, the most consistent pattern shown in children raised with the absence of a father tends to be conflicts with family life (Amato & Bruce, 1991). Relationships in a child’s life are negatively affected because they were not shown how to have a proper, healthy relationship by their parents. Others would argue that in single-mother homes, children have a closer relationship with their mothers. On the contrary, more intimate relationships between Mother and child does not mean it creates healthier one. Studies shown in “Children raised in fatherless families from infancy”, show mothers raising their child without a father reported more severe argumentative debates with their child than mothers in families where a father was present (Golombok & MacCallum, 2004). The absence of a father creates a more mother-dependant child who does not perceive their peers as available or dependable to them. With this being said, a codependent relationship with mother and child is more likely to be created. This kind of relationship is unhealthy and causes unhealthy communication skills. If a child grows up and does not socialize with their peers throughout childhood, they may become antisocial and unable to form healthy relationships. Children raised in