On Family

Suicides rates in America increased 33 % between 1999 and 2019. It is the tenth most common cause of death today and the 2^nd leading cause of death in 10- to 34-year-olds. There were nearly 46,000 suicides in 2020, 7000 more than highway fatalities.  Why?

40 % of U.S. births are out of wedlock, 43% more than 1990. Today 72% of Black mothers and 53% of Hispanic mothers are unwed; 18.5 million children are raised by a single parent. The white community is catching up. Why?

11.7% of children over 12 years old, 3.9 million, currently are illegal drug users. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse, there have been 700,000 overdose deaths since 2000. According to the CDC, there were 107,000 drug overdose fatalities in 2021, the highest ever. 53 million people over age 12 have used illegal drugs in the past year and 47% of young people use an illegal drug by the time they graduate from high school. 81% of illicit drugs are obtained in some way from a family member or a friend. Why?

According to Johns Hopkins Medical over 40 million adults in the U.S. have an anxiety disorder. Approximately 7% of children aged 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year. Why?.

Since 1970 59% of mass shootings were carried out by people under age 21. Why?

In recent years there has been a disturbing weakening of shared family values. Any thought or mention of God or prayer in the public square is resisted in too many places and for no good reasons. Erroneous acts of protests are applauded by too many when we should be focused on celebrating our country, our flag and those who have fought and died to defend it. Our sense of patriotism and our nexus with the Almighty are weakening. Why?

What is happening in America and why are we failing our children at so many levels? Most authorities lay the major blame on the breakdown of family structure. A strong, vibrant, and moral country starts with a strongly bonding family. Too often we delegate childcare to the babysitter, to the school, to the sports coach or to some other organization. I do understand that in many cases the income of both parents is pretty much essential for survival. And while I do support women who want to pursue their own careers and firmly believe that a woman’s intellect and contributions are in no way inferior to that of a man, we must realize the consequences we may suffer when absent parents deny the children the loving care that only the parents can give. Too often in pursuit of greater financial gains we forget that our first and foremost responsibility is to the children. Somehow, we have denigrated the overriding, crucial role of the homemaker. The homemaker (he or she) turns a house into a home. The homemaker and the breadwinner are co-equal partners in nurturing a loving and successful family, and they must be equally honored because the children are the extension of the parents, the most important legacy of the parents and the main and lasting contribution they leave behind. The children are the future of the country and no one can replace the role of the parents in instilling in the child the ethical, moral and social values essential to a strong and enduring nation.

It’s nice to have a bigger house, a jazzier car, and a wider TV but there is nothing more important, nor more rewarding, than seeing your children grow up to be responsible, moral and law-abiding citizens and contributors to the greater good in all they touch. 

Khalil Gibran had it right when he wrote in “The Prophet” in 1923:

“- – – You (the parents) are the bows from which your children, as living arrows, are sent forth. – – – – Let your bending in the Archer’s hand be for gladness, for even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.”

• – – – – Just the view of a common man