This Valentine’s Day should not only show love for a significant other, but it should also strengthen marriages, especially for the sake of children.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one out of three children in America live in homes without a biological father. It seems like this number continues to grow by the day, but it does not have to.
Children should typically deserve to have their biological father and mother in the home. Of course, unfortunate situations such as death and abuse prevent this from happening.
Still, too many divorces leave children from being able to live with both parents. Many divorce situations leave children without a say. They don’t get to choose if they want their parents to stay together or divorce because their parents are set in their ways. They can be so upset and ready to divorce that the child is almost forgotten.
Even with fame and money, the pain of growing up without a biological parent can carry on into adulthood. In 1993, Tupac Shakur released “Papa’z Song,” where he expresses how his family was broken because his father was not in the home. In 2000, Jay Z released “Where Have You Been,” where he expresses his anger for the fact that his dad was not around.
A study done in the Journal of Research on Adolescence found that youth in homes without their fathers had higher odds of incarceration than those in homes with their mothers and fathers.
Child psychologist Kenneth Condrell believes the mother is very important in the lives of young boys. He said that the mother acts as the boy’s companion and his encouragement until he is old enough to move on.
On Valentine’s Day, people forget about themselves and focus on their loved ones. This is something that should be done daily. Many times whenever people feel like they’ve been done wrong by their spouses, they decide to hold grudges. True unconditional love, though, holds no grudges.
America is known as the land of second chances. Everyone makes mistakes, but no one wants their mistakes to be held over their heads. When people think about holding mistakes against their spouses, they should consider if they would want that for themselves.
On Valentine’s Day, restaurants should be filled, chocolates should be sold out and teddy bears should be wiped from all shelves. Simple gestures like these can go a long way. Love is all about actions and not words.
When spouses celebrate their relationships on Valentine’s Day, their marriages can become stronger.
True strong marriages can result in a better well-being for children.
When children grow up seeing strong marriages, they can end up having strong marriages when they grow older.
