“O Father, Where Art Thou?”

“ Kids have a hole in their soul in the shape of their dad. And if a father is unwilling or unable to fill that hole, it can leave a wound that is not easily healed.”

-Roland C. Warren

Millions of children grow up without their biological father, and often when you ask them about it, there are a variety of different responses. You may hear some describe how their dad was abusive to their mom, how their father had multiple children from  different women and abandoned them all. 

Yet when you ask absent fathers themselves, you get a different picture. You meet guys who desperately did not want to leave their children, who swear they have tried to be with them, who may feel unworthy of fatherhood but who don’t want to be the missing dad like their own fathers. In truth, when fathers abandon their own children, it’s not a momentary decision; it’s a long, tragic process. 

Having a parent leave the home permanently can cause trauma in a child’s life, just like having an incarcerated or physically abusive parent in the home according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which developed the method of tracking adverse childhood experiences. 

The Effects of Growing Up Without a Dad

• More Likely to be Aggressive 
• More Likely to Be Depressed 
• More Likely to Have Low Self-Esteem 
• More Likely to Do Poorly in Schools 
• More Likely to Be Incarcerated and to Commit Suicide 
• More Likely to Use Drugs 

POWEM Publishers is in the process of creating a community of support for Fatherless Fathers, to address issues like depression, low self-esteem, incarceration, and drug use. If fathers don’t get the support they need in order to heal, it will be challenging for them to form and maintain healthy relationships with their own children, possibly continuing the cycle of abandonment and/or neglect. If you would like to be a part of our Fatherless Fathers Community, please sign up for the Insiders Club at https://mosespowe.com/contact/