Reflecting on this past Father’s Day weekend

This weekend marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of my dad. It hit me harder this year than even when it happened.

When he passed in the last few weeks of his life, he was suffering. It was almost a relief that he went to meet the Lord. He was a devout Catholic and devoted husband of 69 years and an amazing father.

When I gave his eulogy at the cemetery, it was tough to get through, but I managed. We were all reminded of how lucky we were to have such an incredible man as our father.

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We were also grateful that he lived a long, happy and good life. He was a good provider and someone you could always count on always.

I know that everyone was not as fortunate as us to have such a great father and for that I feel both grateful and sorry. But all of us men have it in us to be at least a good father.

Someone their children can count on, who’s always present in their lives, no matter how far away physically they might be.

If we look around, sometimes it feels like our society is in trouble. Like things are falling apart. A big reason for that is the lack of fathers, good fathers or fathers in the home to give stability and direction to a family and a young soul.

90% of all homeless and runaway children come from fatherless homes. 

About 1 in 4 children in our country live in a home without a father. 71% of high school dropouts are fatherless.

And the sad statistics on criminal behavior also point to the lack of a father in the home. All too often we take fathers too lightly. They’re often dismissed as clueless fools in advertising, TV shows, movies and media in general.

We need to take fathers more seriously and yes; fathers need to take their role and their children’s lives more seriously and some cases too.

As I enjoyed my Father’s Day with my children and grandchildren, both near and far, I thought about those who didn’t have the guidance and love of a father. The kind that was taught to me by my dad, and hopefully I’ve imparted to my children as his legacy.

My heart goes out to them, and my hope is that they are still able to make something good of themselves in this life. And I hope each and every one of us, whether we're a mother or father or neither, recognize the importance of good men like my dad and the countless numbers of men like him. God bless all fathers and mothers too.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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