Fathers encouraged to stay involved with their children
By APRIL BAILEY
Staff writer
"It takes a village to raise a child, and that village starts here," said Aiken County First Steps executive director Marcia Nash as she led the group of speakers at Aiken County First Steps for Fathers Fatherhood Summit on Monday.
The event, which was held at the Freedman Family Literacy/Parenting Center in Graniteville, was sponsored by Aiken County First Steps and Aiken Barnwell Community Action Head Start. The focus of the discussion, said Nash, was children, with the event's theme titled, "What About the Children? Promoting Responsible Fatherhood in Aiken County."
Along with representatives from the First Steps for Fathers program, many local representatives also took part in the discussion which focused on the ways the absence of a father affects a child in terms of physical health, sexual activity, crime, child abuse, academic performance, behavioral problems, substance abuse and emotional problems.
The panelists included Rep. Bill Clyburn, Second Judicial Circuit Solicitor Barbara Morgan, Aiken Barnwell Head Start Director Shadie Hall, Aiken County Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice Kristie Bodie, Dr. Gerald Oliver of Synergic Health Center, Dr. Frank Roberson of The Roberson Group, LLC, retired educator John Nash, Second Judicial Circuit Alcohol Enforcement Team Coordinator Aiken Center for Alcohol & Other Drug Services Harold Crawford and Lisa Tindal, a family service worker with Children's Place.
Of all the cases that come into the Aiken County Department of Juvenile Justice, the father has little or no presence in the home in about 75 percent of them, said Bodie, as she talked about the correlation between an absent father and poor physical health.
Bodie said, in most cases, kids who live with their fathers are involved in organized sports, which reduces the chances of obesity.
"It plays a large part in a child's physical health if they are involved in physical activities and games," she said.
Hall also shared some statistics with the group from Head Start in her presentation on absent fathers and poverty. According to last year's numbers from Aiken/Barnwell Head Start, of the 408 children served, only 90 came from two-parent households; 318 were being raised by single parents.
Hall encouraged fathers to remain in their child's life, even if they were no longer involved with the child's mother.
"You have to stay focused and keep your eye on the prize, which is the child," she said.
Crawford said statistics show that children are more likely to drink in fatherless homes, which leads to increased alcohol abuse later in life.
"Studies have shown that children that drink prior to 15 years of age will be more likely to become dependent on alcohol," he said.
While the purpose of the event was to encourage fathers to participate in their child's life, speakers also had a message for the single mothers and children who attended.
As she shared her own story of her life as a single mom, Morgan encouraged single mothers and children not to make any excuses or let their circumstances hold them back. "Like I used to tell my son, life's not always going to be fair."
Raised by a single father, Nash reminded the group, "You are important, because God don't make no junk."
Contact April Bailey at abailey@aikenstandard.com
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