There is intense pressure on children to be popular at school or among friends. For tweens and teens, it can almost dominate their lives. The right friends, the right labels, the right gadgets seem so totally essential. And yet popularity seems to evade many children, youth and teens. How can a father help his children see popularity in its true light and help them cope in a world where popularity seems so important?
Mitch Albom is a columnist for the Detroit Free Press and took on 26 year old New York Jets player Antonio Cromartie for having fathered 8 children with 6 women and not even being able to remember their names. But, after all, four of them are three years old. Albom writes, in part:
Cromartie is the new face of irresponsible fatherhood. But while he has more than earned the honor (the Jets, according to reports, had to front him $500,000 for paternity suits), he is hardly alone.
Fathering kids as if you're watering plants is a growing problem in the sports world, particularly in African-American circles. And if we are going to talk about this issue, we need to drop our sensitivities toward this fact.
It is so hard for me to understand the mentality of a man who takes fatherhood, not to mention unprotected sex, with such a cavalier attitude. Most men, at least the ones I know, make responsible choices and understand consequences. So guys, let's not look at some of these NFL stars just based on their on-field play, but let's remember that life is one great whole, and not divisible into parts. Fatherhood is all about living responsibly and taking responsibility for our actions.
No comments:
Post a Comment