Single fatherhood? Very likely, you
did not plan to be here. Whether you
said, “I do,” or “I do tonight,” you
probably hadn’t considered the possibility that you wouldn’t have a partner to
help raise your child or children. Divorced? Widower? A little surprise? Okay,
perhaps a few single fathers actually planned to be a single father, and that’s
cool, too.“The number of men who list themselves as single fathers has increased dramatically in the past 20 years.[i]” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 1.8 million single fathers in the
Regardless of the
path, you’re in good company. Counted among the ranks of current and former single
fathers are musician/activist Bob Geldof, baseball slugger Mark McGuire, actor
Al Pacino, basketball star Dwyane Wade ,
actor Colin Farrell, international soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo ,
musician Lenny Kravitz, and, ahem, me.
You
may know how to change your oil and flush the coolant in your car. Maybe you’re
the best defense attorney in the city or a high-powered captain of industry.
You might be able to fillet a trout or field dress a deer. You may even know
the answer to the question, “Who played third base for the ’42 St. Louis Browns?”
or recite the infield fly rule verbatim. Regardless of who you are, what you
know, or the specifics of your situation, it’s time to add another dimension to
your toolbox. It’s time to put up because someone, or maybe more than one someone,
depends on you part of the time or all of the time. Let’s go, Dad. You need to
step up to the plate.-From The Single Father's Guide to Life, Cooking, and Baseball.
[i] Earl
Kelly, “Single Dads Give, Learn Valuable Lessons,” Capital Gazette, June 19, 2011.
[ii] “Facts
for Features,” U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov, April 20, 2011.
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