Question:
I take a real exception to the statement that biological parents are the most committed and have the best outcome. You are certainly entitled to your opinion but I work with adoptions and in fact have two adopted children and two biological children myself. While many biological parents are committed, many are not and that’s exactly why I have a job! In a lot of
Actually, I had already said a paragraph or so above that I thought those statistics could substitute the word "adoptive" for "biological". I would not hesitate to lump a couple who adopt a child together with a couple who plan a wanted child through biological means. I was talking more specifically about how difficult it is to get people to join into a relationship with a child who wasn’t there from the start. There seems to be some imperative to raise children that some have for their own children, but it doesn’t carry over to other people’s children. No one becomes an adoptive parent unless they are actively seeking to parent a child or children.
Actually, I know at least one person who adopted their spouse’s kids from a prior marriage. He made an awful step-parent, and the marriage failed. The kids have serious problems of the sort I relate to stepfathers. Raising children is hard, and not everyone is interested in it. For whatever reasons, biological parents seem to be the most committed to
xxxxxxxxxx ^the original set of – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – it (in general) and have the best outcome (in general). That’s what I saw reflected in those statistics, and I have no trouble believing that. Wendy, who has two full sibs, 3 steps by another woman, 1 step by another man, and a half brother who just found us 30 years after the adoption…
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How many times have you heard someone say that they don’t want to adopt a child; they want their *own* at any cost? I personally don’t feel that way, but my husband had told me more than once that he has no interest in raising someone else’s children (even though he is a *wonderful* father to our own.)
When you adopt, that child *becomes* your own. It isn’t easier, in some ways it’s much more difficult than having birth children, but if you’re doing it right, that child bonds to you and you to her (a girl in our case). "Not flesh of my flesh, or bone of my bone, But still, miraculously, my own. Never forget for a single minute, You didn’t grow under my heart, But in it." (unknown) Some of the children available for adoption have had their hearts broken by birth parents. My daughter was one of those, she needed a mother so badly and is so thrilled and proud of her parents. There are times she still fingers the cigarette burn scars and the knife scar and asks me WHY her birth mother did that to her. I believe that the number of foster children in state custody today shoots down the theory that biology is better. Mother of 3; one adoptive daughter, one homemade daughter and son ;)
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Isn’t adoption wonderful? I also have 2 biological children and two adopted ones. It’s easy to blend them together and become one big happy family. And I agree that adopting children isn’t as easy as having biological ones. The physical problems of a pregnancy are missing but the emotional rollercoaster is awful. Sometimes I get very angry when people tell me that I got my younger children the easy way. They have no idea that it took us almost 15 years to locate Andy and another 7 to find Thiago. Actually we did it in reverse. When Andy was 7 we found his biological older brother living on the streets in Brasil after their biological mother had died and adopted him at 13 years old. Now Andy is 9 and Thiago is 15. They are happy, healthy and full members of our family. They both receive special education services since they both have many learning disabilities and are ADHD and have Tourette’s Syndrome. Our daughters have bonded with both boys and since they are now adults with their own families frequently invite the boys to sleep over so we can get a break from having two extremely active boys. Yes, adoption does work and is worth it. Is it for everyone? No, but then neither is marriage or having any children at all regardless of birth or adoption. Would I do it again? Absolutely if I found the right child but no more babies, thank you. One of our daughters recently remarriage and has a 4 year old son. Her husband has custody of his 4 year old daughter. They are each busy completing step-parent adoptions for both children. Not only does my daughter love her husband’s daughter, I am in love with my new granddaughter. How many times have you heard someone say that they don’t want to adopt a child; they want their *own* at any cost? I personally don’t feel that way, but my husband had told me more than once that he has no interest in raising someone else’s children (even though he is a *wonderful* father to our own.) When you adopt, that child *becomes* your own. It isn’t easier, in some ways it’s much more difficult than having birth children, but if you’re doing it right, that child bonds to you and you to her (a girl in our
case). I have this poem framed in my younger son’s bedroom. Isn’t it beautiful? "Not flesh of my flesh, or bone of my bone, But still, miraculously, my own. Never forget for a single minute, You didn’t grow under my heart, But in it." (unknown)
Lois Paul Help The Children mother to Helene (26), Erica (25), Thiago (15), Andy (9), and grandmother to Joshua and Jessica (both 4 but not twins)
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How many times have you heard someone say that they don’t want to adopt a child; they want their *own* at any cost? I personally Wendy, who has two full sibs, 3 steps by another woman, 1 step by another man, and a half brother who just found us 30 years after the adoption…
FWIW, I have one of my *own*, he is adopted, but he is just as much my *own* as a child could be! My husband feels the same way. Joy Willinger Adoptive MOTHER to Samuel, 3/20/92, born in Quito Ecuador
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: I take a real exception to the statement that biological parents are the : most committed and have the best outcome……As a group, adoptive : parents are more highly educated and therefore are more open and able to : seek outside help (such as counseling) when problems arise. The majority of Dear Lois, On the surface it would seem that your argument would have much merit. However, my experience with the "adoption" world is not so positive to make me think that adoptive parents are all that much more motivated or committed as their counterparts. I am the biological father of one child and adoptive of two. My son Izak came to me through a public adoption. At about age 2 my son started showing some unusual behaviors which later proved to be autism. Upon diagnosis, the social worker in charge of the adoption offered to us, to my utter amazement, to allow us to return the child to the custody of the state (where he would be wearhoused in an institution ala "Rainman" for the balance of his life.) "You gotta be kidding!" was my reaction. I found myself getting a little angry that anyone would suggest I do such a thing. "Oh no," said the social worker, "90% of parents opt to return the child with this kind of disabilty." Well Izak is my son autism or no and I declined the offer. This got me thinking about people who adopt children and their motives for doing so. It would seem that to reject your child because he or she is not perfect is typical yuppie selfishness not a whole lot different from the rest of the population (who do not have the easy option of relinquishing their "imperfect" biological children without obligations.) So I don’t buy the sainted stature of adopting parents over their biological reproducing counterparts. If you do happen to find parents who want to adopt handicapped children, please have them contact me and I will forward them to Adoption Advocates for Special Kids in Berekely, CA. Love, lenny — Abolish sigs.
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In response to the comments about biological parents being the most committed — what is the point of comments like that? Child abuse statistics are about the same for biological fathers and "step" fathers. The only thing that really makes a difference with men is a study that said that men who participated in childcare before the child was 3 were significantly less likely to abuse (this study was sexual abuse) the children. I think committment can be based on many things besides biology. My son is very happy with with two households, one consisting of his biological father and the father’s girlfriend and the other consisting of his biological mother me, and my girlfriend. All the adults in his life are committed to his health, happiness, security, and well-being if not to traditional ideas of parenthood. Gwendolyn
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Just wanted to add a generic answer to the question. It has been discussed in length already. My answer is short: My kids do.
Very well said! I couldn’t agree with you more (and I’m a divorced female!) Janine Mommy to Mallory 8yo, Jocelyn 6yo, and Brooklyn 11.5 mos
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Just wanted to add a generic answer to the question. It has been discussed in length already. My answer is short: My kids do. FYI: my oldest daughter has been with (only) me since her biological mother decided to take off when she was three. My son has been with me since he was two years old. His father left him when his mother (now my wife) refused to abort him. The other two daughters we "made" together. 
BTW: Women – who needs them? Judging from my experience, if its the right woman, my kids and I both do!
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Hi Lenny: I am also the parent to two biological daughters and two adopted sons. My youngest son is extremely special needs but that wasn’t disclosed to us nor was it apparent at the time of the adoption. If we had been told the truth about his family and prenatal background, we would have known that he was a very high-risk baby. He has severe neurological damage because of the mother’s drug usage. Because he was an international adoption, the offer to take him back was never made. But we would have been appalled if it had. Andy is our son, plain and simple. I’m telling you this to you know that I understand exactly what you are saying. As for the families we work with, we try as much as possible to be sure that they will be able to unconditionally love the child they are planning to adopt even if the child isn’t perfect. Occasionally, our agency isn’t given the complete history of the child so of course we can’t give it to the parents. Or they do receive a healthy child only to have something go terribly wrong and they end up with a child with problems. This is reality. To date, in the 9 years Help The Children has been in existence, we’ve never had a parent want to "return" a child and we do place many special children so I would say that we do a good job of screening. I am the biological father of one child and adoptive of two. My son Izak came to me through a public adoption. At about age 2 my son started showing some unusual behaviors which later proved to be autism. Upon diagnosis, the social worker in charge of the adoption offered to us, to my utter amazement, to allow us to return the child to the custody of the state (where he would be wearhoused in an institution ala "Rainman" for the balance of his life.)
I know about AASK and have referred a few families to them but we do have our own special children. In just the last 2 months, we’ve matched 7 special international children and are waiting for the foreign officials to approve the families. If you do happen to find parents who want to adopt handicapped children, please have them contact me and I will forward them to Adoption Advocates for Special Kids in Berekely, CA.
Lois Paul Help The Children
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: : : These statistics would be more meaningful if we knew how the : sample population was picked, and whether the problems indicated : happened before the parents split, after, or both. Also, does : Single mother parent imply that no man was EVER present or currently : involved with the child, or just that they were never legally married? : Without additional info, we might just as validly infer that kids with : educational problems cause divorce. : IMHO the meaning of these statistics is absolutely common-sensical, and : querying sampling methods or causal links as though we were discussing : time-reversal in astrophysics, is otiose. Is it because a clique of inverts : has hijacked the women’s movement into inappropriate misanthropy, that such : blindingly obvious statistics as these jar politically-correct sensibilities : into nit-picking about details instead of raising the alarm? : It’s obviously time for a post-feminist reappraisal of biological : fatherhood, and for fathers to reassert their children’s rights to two real : parents. : No, it’s only common sensical if you come at it with a preconceived notion, : such as two bio parents are ALWAYS good for the children. Dear Pandora, For me the purpose of gathering and studying these statistics is not to assess blame on ANY group in society for the harm visited upon kids. What has to happen is the end of the incessant men and father bashing that is primary propaganda device employed by the gender supremacists who have taken over the women’s equality movement and their apologists. NOW has launched a sustained campaign here in California to have fathers marginalized in the lives of their children around divorce situations. Bill after bill has been introduced (and defeated) by this bunch who seek to legislate their distorted definitions of equality at the expense of fatherhood. They have sought to restrict custodial and visitation by fathers. Their rational includes "who really NEEDS fathers anyway?" And I hear the chorus chime in: I hear gender feminists proclaim: "Who Needs Fathers?" I hear lesbian couples wanting to adopt proclaim: "Who Needs Fathers?" I hear Single Mothers by Choice proclaim: "Who Needs Fathers?" I hear fictional hollywood characters prclaim "Who Needs Fathers?" I hear welfare laws suggest to teenage mothers: "Who Needs Fathers?" Well damn it, children do. children do. children do. children do. children do. Where does this anti-fathers, Black Widow mentality spring from? Now where do you think these feminists got their first taste of blood re-engineering the family to fit their orthodoxy? Ironic that some of the same "progressive" crowd now wants to adopt. This is not about blaming single mothers. It is about battling those who would promote the disposability of fatherhood as an ideology. Love, lenny — Abolish sigs.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – These statistics would be more meaningful if we knew how the sample population was picked, and whether the problems indicated happened before the parents split, after, or both. Also, does Single mother parent imply that no man was EVER present or currently involved with the child, or just that they were never legally married? Without additional info, we might just as validly infer that kids with educational problems cause divorce. IMHO the meaning of these statistics is absolutely common-sensical, and querying sampling methods or causal links as though we were discussing time-reversal in astrophysics, is otiose. Is it because a clique of inverts has hijacked the women’s movement into inappropriate misanthropy, that such blindingly obvious statistics as these jar politically-correct sensibilities into nit-picking about details instead of raising the alarm? It’s obviously time for a post-feminist reappraisal of biological fatherhood, and for fathers to reassert their children’s rights to two real parents.
No, it’s only common sensical if you come at it with a preconceived notion, such as two bio parents are ALWAYS good for the children. Factor A and Factor B may have a relationship, such as a single mother has a lower socioeconomic level which make her and her children’s life more stressful. Being poor is stressful for anyone whether they have both biological parents or not. Did they adjust for this? Each case and each child is unique. In some (probably many) one single happy parent (or two single happy parents, one of whom does not live with them) is much better than two miserable parents who are married to each other. Sometimes even BOTH bio parents are totally inappropriate – in my state of Arizona last week a twin boy and girl were burned badly (80% of their body, I think) when their drug addicted parents let the house burn. In any case, let’s not get into a "blame the mother" mentality here. I imagine many of these ’single mother, never married’s and ’single mother, divorced’s would LIKE to have dad around but for some reason or another he skipped out on his responsiblitly, divorcing her or never marrying her in the first place. She would love to provide her children with a father and a more stable condition but the father didn’t want to do that and so she is doing the best she can to provide, and doesn’t need studies like this (except maybe to convince dad to stay?)
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What’s the saying, there are lies, damn lies, then statistics… But can’t we agree that having two biological parents raise a child is a fine thing to shoot for? Obviously it doesn’t always work. Just as breastfeeding doesn’t always work. But that doesn’t mean that one isn’t "better" in an objective sense for the great mass of humanity.
Given that each of the biological parents are good parents, I’d say yes. But one good parent is better than 2 bad ones. I see this all the time in my kids’ friends parents…2 parents, both of whom treat the kid like an inconvenience, like something that has to be put up with instead of treasured. They leave the kids home alone for the most trivial reasons. The kids can do no right. They can get no attention. Yet all the time the parents bitch about how tough it is raising kids, how terrible their lives have become because of their kids. No, I’ll take quality over quantity any day. Ben Weber
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I take a real exception to the statement that biological parents are the most committed and have the best outcome. You are certainly entitled to your opinion but I work with adoptions and in fact have two adopted children and two biological children myself. While many biological parents are committed, many are not and that’s exactly why I have a job! In a lot of cases (certainly not all), a biological parent becomes a parent because it just happens (wanted or not). No one becomes an adoptive parent unless they are actively seeking to parent a child or children. As a group, adoptive parents are more highly educated and therefore are more open and able to seek outside help (such as counseling) when problems arise. The majority of adoptees (as adults) are happy, healthy, well educated, and productive members of society. Perhaps you need to take a look at all of the statistics regarding this. Lois Paul Help The Children – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Raising children is hard, and not everyone is interested in it. For whatever reasons, biological parents seem to be the most committed to it (in general) and have the best outcome (in general). That’s what I saw reflected in those statistics, and I have no trouble believing that. Wendy, who has two full sibs, 3 steps by another woman, 1 step by another man, and a half brother who just found us 30 years after the adoption…
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What’s the saying, there are lies, damn lies, then statistics… But can’t we agree that having two biological parents raise a child is a fine thing to shoot for? Obviously it doesn’t always work. Just as breastfeeding doesn’t always work. But that doesn’t mean that one isn’t "better" in an objective sense for the great mass of humanity. I’ve read a hilarious essay by Ellen Goodman in which she proclaims that every family really needs three adults, and those poor two-adult families are truly disadvantaged. I couldn’t argue with a word she said! In general I think you can replace the word "biological" with "adoptive", but I think we should pause a moment to reflect on the nature of the parent/child relationship. You can argue with me about this, but I think that the relationship is remarkably unbalanced; we give and give and give, and the kids take and take and take. There are particularly strong urges that make me want to mother and raise my children, but I can’t expect that some other adult will feel the same way about entering into such a lopsided relationship. (This is *not* to say that some men can’t commit to the children; obviously some do!) How many times have you heard someone say that they don’t want to adopt a child; they want their *own* at any cost? I personally don’t feel that way, but my husband had told me more than once that he has no interest in raising someone else’s children (even though he is a *wonderful* father to our own.) Raising children is hard, and not everyone is interested in it. For whatever reasons, biological parents seem to be the most committed to it (in general) and have the best outcome (in general). That’s what I saw reflected in those statistics, and I have no trouble believing that. Wendy, who has two full sibs, 3 steps by another woman, 1 step by another man, and a half brother who just found us 30 years after the adoption…
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IMHO the meaning of these statistics is absolutely common-sensical, and querying sampling methods or causal links as though we were discussing time-reversal in astrophysics, is otiose. Is it because a clique of inverts has hijacked the women’s movement into inappropriate misanthropy, that such blindingly obvious statistics as these jar politically-correct sensibilities into nit-picking about details instead of raising the alarm? It’s obviously time for a post-feminist reappraisal of biological fatherhood, and for fathers to reassert their children’s rights to two real parents.
Whether the conclusions are true or false, the statistics as presented are meaningless. Period. One draws conclusions from valid statistics…one does not justify invalid statistics with prejudices. Ben Weber AT&T NS "Otiose is as otiose does"…from "Forrest Gump, the Sequel"
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: Bless you Mary Ellen!!! There is another woman alive going through the exact : same thing that I am. those statistics are utterly deplorable!!! Some have raised some interesting questions about the information presented and I will forward them to David Garrod and see if I can come up with some answers. However, nothing said so far has rendered the report as being false. In fact, it corresponds to a number of other similar studies which admittedly only high lights correlations. However, this does match with my far less scientific personal anecdotal experience–not to mention that it makes sense (to me). In my : opinion, there is a strong difference between "Daddy" and "Father". My SO is : Daddy! My daughter’s father is "sperm donor", he doesn’t even deserve the : reference of father. I know what you speak about Keli, I am not the biological father of my two younger kids who are adopted. I couldn’t possibly be more of a dad, or love them more than I do now. Love, lenny — Abolish sigs.
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These statistics would be more meaningful if we knew how the sample population was picked, and whether the problems indicated happened before the parents split, after, or both. Also, does Single mother parent imply that no man was EVER present or currently involved with the child, or just that they were never legally married? Without additional info, we might just as validly infer that kids with educational problems cause divorce.
IMHO the meaning of these statistics is absolutely common-sensical, and querying sampling methods or causal links as though we were discussing time-reversal in astrophysics, is otiose. Is it because a clique of inverts has hijacked the women’s movement into inappropriate misanthropy, that such blindingly obvious statistics as these jar politically-correct sensibilities into nit-picking about details instead of raising the alarm? It’s obviously time for a post-feminist reappraisal of biological fatherhood, and for fathers to reassert their children’s rights to two real parents.
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Bless you Mary Ellen!!! There is another woman alive going through the exact same thing that I am. those statistics are utterly deplorable!!! In my opinion, there is a strong difference between "Daddy" and "Father". My SO is Daddy! My daughter’s father is "sperm donor", he doesn’t even deserve the reference of father. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Keep up the good work 
!!! Keli
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Is it just me, or are there a couple of categories missing here: ex: single mother (widowed), single father (never married) single father (divorced) single father (widowed). BTW: are you all ever going to find something else to argue about? This is getting really dull. Kelly (go ahead–flame me–see if I care )
I’m not going to flame you I am going to saw he left out a LOT. Ex. bio parents where the father is an alcoholic irresponsible, immature jerk. Yeah my 5 year old was in counseling when her father and I were married because she had accidents on a daily basis after being potty trained for QUITE some time. Also she had severe emotional problems. We’re divorced and I have custody and she is a happy healthy well adjusted 8 year old. Let’s be tolerant of each other instead of throwing meaningless statistics at those of us who struggle to keep our kids happy and healthy when their own fathers don’t give a damn! I don’t think all men are terrible but I do not think that a sperm donor (and we’re not talking AI here either) makes a father. A father is one who loves their children and supports them in whatever they may need within reason. A father DOES not use the children as pawns against their mother. A father’s main goal should be to ensure that his children grow up to be health happy well rounded adults. Thus said I think my SO makes a MUCH better parent then my ex could ever hope to do. Why? He thinks of them, he listens to them and most of all he loves them just because they are who they are. He’s been there for me and them when it’s been inconvienant for him, just like a real parent. Their dad? His response when they call and ask to spend time with him is to either 1)Not call back or 2)Tell them it’s not "convienant" mostly because he needs to babysit his girlfriends kids.
(bunch of biased statistics deleted) — q Mary Ellen Froning In women hot flashes are surges of POWER
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (forwarded from David Garrod) Source: U.S. DHHS, Public Health Services Report, June 1991 from CDC, Hyattsville, MD. (Number of single father parents insignificant) Single mother parent (divorced) 5.9% Single mother parent (never married) 5.0% Mother and Step-father 4.8% Both bio-parents 3.9% Asthma is strongly correlated with parental smoking. Smoking is strongly correlated to socioeconomic level. Single parenthood is also correlated with socioeconomic level. You can argue which way the causitive relationship works in that last one, but basically, the poorer you are, the more likely you are to have children early & as an unwed mother. Thus, Asthma is basically tied to socioeconomics, which also happens to be tied to incidence of unwed births…it isn’t that not having a father (per se) does damage to one’s lungs.
As I undersand it, asthma is also correlated to anxiety levels. And smoke, of course. My wife has asthma, and it kicks up when around cologne, smoke, or during a stressful period. The stats given in the original post don’t say why any of this is caused, nor do they judge the circumstances or individuals represented in each category. I’d offer a guess that those in lower socio-economic levels, over-burdened single parents, or those facing adjustment factors involved in a blended family experience higher stress levels, and thus there may arise a correlation to higher incidence of asthma and other illnesses. — Web home page — http://www.rahul.net/thinker
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (forwarded from David Garrod) Source: U.S. DHHS, Public Health Services Report, June 1991 from CDC, Hyattsville, MD. (Number of single father parents insignificant) Percent of children 5 – 17 years of age, who had ever experienced academic problems as a percent of children in that category. Needed special parent-teacher conference: Single mother parent (never married) 27.6% Single mother parent (divorced) 21.3% Mother and Step-father 22.9% Both bio-parents 13.3%
These statistics would be more meaningful if we knew how the sample population was picked, and whether the problems indicated happened before the parents split, after, or both. Also, does Single mother parent imply that no man was EVER present or currently involved with the child, or just that they were never legally married? Without additional info, we might just as validly infer that kids with educational problems cause divorce. Ben Weber AT&T NS
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Is it just me, or are there a couple of categories missing here: ex: single mother (widowed), single father (never married) single father (divorced) single father (widowed). BTW: are you all ever going to find something else to argue about? This is getting really dull. Kelly (go ahead–flame me–see if I care ) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (forwarded from David Garrod) Source: U.S. DHHS, Public Health Services Report, June 1991 from CDC, Hyattsville, MD. (Number of single father parents insignificant) Percent of children 5 – 17 years of age, who had ever experienced academic problems as a percent of children in that category. Needed special parent-teacher conference: Single mother parent (never married) 27.6% Single mother parent (divorced) 21.3% Mother and Step-father 22.9% Both bio-parents 13.3% Repeat Grade of School: Single mother parent (never married) 29.7% Single mother parent (divorced) 21.5% Mother and Step-father 21.7% Both bio-parents 11.5% Suspended of Expelled: Single mother parent (never married) 15.3% Single mother parent (divorced) 10.7% Mother and Step-father 8.8% Both bio-parents 4.4% Percent of children 3 – 17 years of age, who were treated for emotional problem or behavioral problems in 1988, by family category. Single mother parent (divorced) 8.8% Single mother parent (never married) 4.4% Mother and Step-father 6.6% both biological parents 2.7% Percent of children under 17 years of age, who had health problems in 1988, as a percent of children in that category: Accident, injury or poisoning: Mother and Step-father 17.7% Single mother parent (divorced) 17.1% Single mother parent (never married) 13.4% Both bio-parents 9.1% Frequent headaches: Mother and Step-father 5.0% Single mother parent (divorced) 4.1% Single mother parent (never married) 2.3% Both bio-parents 2.5% Stammer or speech defect: Single mother parent (never married) 4.3% Single mother parent (divorced) 3.2% Mother and Step-father 2.4% Both bio-parents 2.3% Chronic enuresis (bed-wetting): Mother and Step-father 3.0% Single Mother parent (divorced) 2.9% Single mother parent (never married) 2.3% Both bio-parents 2.3% Chronic Asthma: Single mother parent (divorced) 5.9% Single mother parent (never married) 5.0% Mother and Step-father 4.8% Both bio-parents 3.9% Percent of children 5 – 17 years of age with specific behavioral problems, as percent of children in that category: Headstrong Behavior: Mother and Step-father 62.7% Single mother parent (divorced) 58.1% Both bio-parents 43.4% Single mother parent (never-married) 42.3% Antisocial behavior: Mother and Step-father 43.9% Single mother parent (divorced) 40.4% Single mother parent (never married) 33.6% Both bio-parents 23.8% Dependency: Single mother parent (never married) 21.4% Single mother parent (divorced) 20.75 Mother and Step-father 19.6% Both bio-parents 15.0% Peer Conflict or Social Withdrawal: Mother and Step-father 19.2% Single mother parent (divorced) 16.5% Single mother parent (never married) 14.4% Both bio-parents 9.5% David Garrod — Abolish sigs.
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(forwarded from David Garrod) Source: U.S. DHHS, Public Health Services Report, June 1991 from CDC, Hyattsville, MD. (Number of single father parents insignificant) Percent of children 5 – 17 years of age, who had ever experienced academic problems as a percent of children in that category.
Just be careful not to confuse *correlation* with *causitive relationship*. The following example is a good case in point: Chronic Asthma: Single mother parent (divorced) 5.9% Single mother parent (never married) 5.0% Mother and Step-father 4.8% Both bio-parents 3.9%
Asthma is strongly correlated with parental smoking. Smoking is strongly correlated to socioeconomic level. Single parenthood is also correlated with socioeconomic level. You can argue which way the causitive relationship works in that last one, but basically, the poorer you are, the more likely you are to have children early & as an unwed mother. Thus, Asthma is basically tied to socioeconomics, which also happens to be tied to incidence of unwed births…it isn’t that not having a father (per se) does damage to one’s lungs. Sue
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(forwarded from David Garrod) Source: U.S. DHHS, Public Health Services Report, June 1991 from CDC, Hyattsville, MD. (Number of single father parents insignificant) Percent of children 5 – 17 years of age, who had ever experienced academic problems as a percent of children in that category. Needed special parent-teacher conference: Single mother parent (never married) 27.6% Single mother parent (divorced) 21.3% Mother and Step-father 22.9% Both bio-parents 13.3% Repeat Grade of School: Single mother parent (never married) 29.7% Single mother parent (divorced) 21.5% Mother and Step-father 21.7% Both bio-parents 11.5% Suspended of Expelled: Single mother parent (never married) 15.3% Single mother parent (divorced) 10.7% Mother and Step-father 8.8% Both bio-parents 4.4% Percent of children 3 – 17 years of age, who were treated for emotional problem or behavioral problems in 1988, by family category. Single mother parent (divorced) 8.8% Single mother parent (never married) 4.4% Mother and Step-father 6.6% both biological parents 2.7% Percent of children under 17 years of age, who had health problems in 1988, as a percent of children in that category: Accident, injury or poisoning: Mother and Step-father 17.7% Single mother parent (divorced) 17.1% Single mother parent (never married) 13.4% Both bio-parents 9.1% Frequent headaches: Mother and Step-father 5.0% Single mother parent (divorced) 4.1% Single mother parent (never married) 2.3% Both bio-parents 2.5% Stammer or speech defect: Single mother parent (never married) 4.3% Single mother parent (divorced) 3.2% Mother and Step-father 2.4% Both bio-parents 2.3% Chronic enuresis (bed-wetting): Mother and Step-father 3.0% Single Mother parent (divorced) 2.9% Single mother parent (never married) 2.3% Both bio-parents 2.3% Chronic Asthma: Single mother parent (divorced) 5.9% Single mother parent (never married) 5.0% Mother and Step-father 4.8% Both bio-parents 3.9% Percent of children 5 – 17 years of age with specific behavioral problems, as percent of children in that category: Headstrong Behavior: Mother and Step-father 62.7% Single mother parent (divorced) 58.1% Both bio-parents 43.4% Single mother parent (never-married) 42.3% Antisocial behavior: Mother and Step-father 43.9% Single mother parent (divorced) 40.4% Single mother parent (never married) 33.6% Both bio-parents 23.8% Dependency: Single mother parent (never married) 21.4% Single mother parent (divorced) 20.75 Mother and Step-father 19.6% Both bio-parents 15.0% Peer Conflict or Social Withdrawal: Mother and Step-father 19.2% Single mother parent (divorced) 16.5% Single mother parent (never married) 14.4% Both bio-parents 9.5% David Garrod — Abolish sigs.
Response:
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