August 30th 03, 06:25 PM
Saturday, August 30, 2003
Single-dad families more and more common
By EMILY BERG
Staff Writer
But raising two little girls is a whole new battle.
Howe is one of a growing number of fathers raising children on their own.
While the percentage of children being raised by single moms is declining,
the number of single dads continues to rise, according a report by the
Annie E. Casey Foundation, based in Baltimore, Md. The foundation focuses
on serving disadvantaged children and families. The number of children
living in single-father households increased 50 percent between 1990 and
2000. While the number of children living with single moms decreased
between 1996 and 2001, those living with single fathers rose 11 percent,
according to the report. The report partially attributes this increase to
the social trend in the 1990s often referred to as the "father movement."
Groups like Promise Keepers and events such as the so-called Million Man
March encouraged men to meet their family responsibilities. Howe said
fathers had gotten a bad rap for a long time and got tired of it. "More
fathers are standing up to bat for themselves," he said. Howe was orphaned
at a young age and raised in foster care. He decided that would never
happen to his own children. He got custody of his 11- and 8-year-old girls
shortly after he and his wife divorced. "I promised myself my kids would
never be subjected to not knowing their own blood," he said. There are
challenges with raising the two girls. He spent nearly $10,000 for day care
last year. He's also protective and has a hard time when the girls want to
stay the night at a friend's house. It's tough because he never gets a
break, but having his girls run to him and give him a hug when he picks
them up at day care makes it worth it. "I get a kick out of that more than
anything else," he said.
Copyright © 1996-2003 Daily Press
http://tinyurl.com/lpn7
Single-dad families more and more common
By EMILY BERG
Staff Writer
But raising two little girls is a whole new battle.
Howe is one of a growing number of fathers raising children on their own.
While the percentage of children being raised by single moms is declining,
the number of single dads continues to rise, according a report by the
Annie E. Casey Foundation, based in Baltimore, Md. The foundation focuses
on serving disadvantaged children and families. The number of children
living in single-father households increased 50 percent between 1990 and
2000. While the number of children living with single moms decreased
between 1996 and 2001, those living with single fathers rose 11 percent,
according to the report. The report partially attributes this increase to
the social trend in the 1990s often referred to as the "father movement."
Groups like Promise Keepers and events such as the so-called Million Man
March encouraged men to meet their family responsibilities. Howe said
fathers had gotten a bad rap for a long time and got tired of it. "More
fathers are standing up to bat for themselves," he said. Howe was orphaned
at a young age and raised in foster care. He decided that would never
happen to his own children. He got custody of his 11- and 8-year-old girls
shortly after he and his wife divorced. "I promised myself my kids would
never be subjected to not knowing their own blood," he said. There are
challenges with raising the two girls. He spent nearly $10,000 for day care
last year. He's also protective and has a hard time when the girls want to
stay the night at a friend's house. It's tough because he never gets a
break, but having his girls run to him and give him a hug when he picks
them up at day care makes it worth it. "I get a kick out of that more than
anything else," he said.
Copyright © 1996-2003 Daily Press
http://tinyurl.com/lpn7