The Dad Difference

Josh McDowell has been trying to find out what dads are doing in Christian families, and the news isn’t good. In his book The Dad Difference, McDowell reveals that there seems to be a parenting gap. These statistics are from McDowell’s book:

• The average teen in our churches spends only 2 minutes a day in meaningful dialogue with his dad.
• 25% of these teens say they have never had a meaningful conversation with their father—a talk centered on the teens’ interests.

A positive and continuous relationship to one’s father has been found to be associated with a good self-concept, higher self-esteem, higher self-confidence in personal and social interaction, higher moral maturity, reduced rates of unwed teen pregnancy, greater internal control and higher career aspirations. Fathers who are affectionate, nurturing and actively involved in child-rearing are more likely to have well-adjusted children.

Dr. George Rekers, in Homemade, vol. 11, no. 1