“Mommy, where is daddy?”

Many students at SLz have lived through a variety of struggles, one of the reasons being for not having fathers involved in their lives. According to Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2003, released by the U.S. Census Bureau in July, 2006, approximately 14 million single parents in the United States are responsible for raising 21.6 million children on their own. 83.1% of these custodial parents are mothers, and 16.9% are fathers.

Growing up without an involved father in one’s life can take an emotional role.

“I used to cry every night because I always wanted a dad,” an anonymous sophomore said. “Seeing my friends getting along with their dads makes me wonder where mine is.”

A father’s departure develops negative feelings towards their parents. It makes students feel abandoned.

“I hate my dad for leaving me when I was born,” Junior Ryan Rodriguez said. “It hurt to know that he doesn’t make any effort to at least build a relationship with me. I blame my mom for picking such an idiot and sometimes hate her for it because all I ever wanted was my dad to be there for me like other’s dad have been there for their kids.”

Some see not having a father figure as the determinant for parts of their identity such as their sexuality.

“Sometimes I think that not having a father figure has resulted in me being gay since my mom was always the one there raising me,” Senior Emmanuel Sanchez said.



Fathers that are involved in their child’s life are happy about being a good father and have their own opinions about it.

“I love my kids with a passion and don’t know what I would do without them,” SLz single father Bernard Green said. “To those out there who aren’t responsible to keep up with their kids are stupid and truculent because they don’t know the pain their causing their kids.”

Despite the lonely and sad feeling students may feel because of their fathers’ absence, many say that it’s too late to build relationships with their fathers many years later.

“I find it funny how my dad abandoned my family when I was little and all of a sudden, after all the most important dates in my life, he wants to come back into it,” Freshman Monica Thomas says. “It’s too late for that. He should have thought about that when he made the decision of leaving.”

Single mothers struggle playing both parent roles, but try their hardest to make it happen.

“Raising my child all by myself was a roller coaster ride,” SLz single mother Angelica Sanchez says, “but as the good parent that I am, I did everything possible to be the best for kids because I know how hard it is to grow up without a dad.”

Health Educator Dr. Brown of Kaiser Permanente, believes that parents’ absence can affect a child’s life, as they are growing up.

“Not having both parents present in a child’s life can affect that person in many different ways,” Dr. Brown said. “I have seen incidents where kids run away from home, or even commit suicide. It’s a very scary thing.”