DOES A FATHER MEAN THAT MUCH TO A CHILDS LIFE

Brian - your daughter grew up without you in her life, but did she grow up without a father figure entirely? (The term "father" doesn't just apply to the person with the right DNA.)

might be doing something right.

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"When I say your dumb name, please stand up briefly, but then quickly drop to your knees and forsake all others before me." -Ignignokt

A Great Post, my congratulations, Brian. Yep-the 'baby boomers'-the most selfish people in the history of the republic-started the ball rolling on screwing the country up. Then along came crack.

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BRING THE TROOPS HOME-NOW!

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"They keep talking about drafting a constitution for Iraq.Why don't we give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, and we're not using it any more".

...licensing parents to breed.

Well Done, Bri. Well Done.

Usually I'd call you out on being such a loser, deadbeat "dad" that has 18+ years to involve himself but for some reason can never make it happen.

With you, however, I applaud. Staying far, far away from your daughter was probably the very best gift you could've ever given her.

Cheers to you for giving her a fair chance at life!

Absolutely!

And those that turn out fine w/o a father figure -- ask yourself, how great could they have turned-out WITH that influence in their lives?

I'm reminded of Kipling...

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Agreed. I, for one, never looked at this issue from a cultural, or racial, perspective.

I realize the original posting was from Sojourners Truth, but it doesn't matter. It could be from a KKK publication, for all I care, and the message is the same. Children are better off with both sets of parents and there are way too many dead-beat, uninvolved, absent-from-the-scene fathers out there. Black, white, red and yellow fathers.

The purpose of this march is to promote that. It should be applauded, not ridiculed.

It hit me the other day. I went to my son's 2nd grade school's registration where they get their lockers, meet their teachers, and tour the class room. On the main wall was the alphabet going across it with sample words below each letter. Under M was Mommy and a few other words. Under the letter D, no Daddy. I then check to see T for Taxpayer. No Luck, I don't exist to a 2nd grade teacher. Fortunately, I exist to my family. Pretty Crazy!

Because there are thousands of socialists out there who believe that NOBODY has anything to do with a child's success except the government.

What does this have to do with the original post? The point of the march, or any activity that would promote more parental involvement be it from Mom or Dad, is to get the adult involved more in their kid's life...so that maybe the government doesn't have to do it.

The march promotes and emphasizes individual responsibility. Isn't that something you'd like to see?

No, having me in the picture dosen't offer any guarantees. I never got to actually raise my own child, so speculating wouldn't be fair.

But after interacting scholastically with the children of the women I've dated, I can tell you honestly that I would have had a more "hands-on" approach to my daughter's education and high school endeavours than the father that raised her did, on paper. I say that becaue I've only heard from my child of her experences, not the whole story. Perceptions differ when you're a child.

I think the point I wanted to make is that the more the "parents" are involved in the upbringing of this child, and I'm not talking about "being a buddy" to this child, but to afford strict guidance and leadership for the child to emulate, the child will have the "respect" and "ambition" instilled before they opened their first coloring book in Kindergarten. You don't have to be black, hispanic or asian to figure that out, but it seems the lack of discipline and guidance permiates society today, more out of fear than anything, and I'm sure a little shit has said at a time or two, "I'm calling the Department of Childrens and Families on you because I don't get my way."

Which is, in my opinion, what happened to Shane and explains his lack of respect and compassion for the topic, as an example, and instead would rather incite rage and create drama. You'll notice that not just with me, but with others that post on this board, there's no use of logic or educated input on the crux of the topic, instead gnaws on the fringes to get under the skin. This is not the result of positive influences from parenting, otherwise he'd know better. Proper parental involvement would have conditioned Shane to accept people as equals and promote a better understanding of how to deal with issues and situations, especially ones he knows nothing about. But because it is apparent his parents failed in encouraging a positive direction to prepare Shane for reality, he's left to posting his drivel on local blog sites with his uneducated, vindictive and provoking remarks based on what his perceptions are, and chances are, he carries himself like this offline.

And you'll see the proof in his following responses to this posting and the true mentality he harbors. (edit: I don't know why I composed this, seeing he's already shown the lack of integrity from the many postings he's provided in the past.)