Why fathers are ‘essential personnel’ (Opinion)

This year we’ve heard the term “essential personnel" and “frontline workers“ quite a bit. I’d like to add fathers to that list.

I was fortunate enough to be blessed with an amazing father. Without his example I don’t think I could have made it through the trials and tribulations of raising my three kids. Thankfully, they are all wonderful human beings that I am extremely proud of.

Whether guys opt out, check out, or are forced out, the absence of a father in a child’s life is not only a great detriment to the individual but to society as a whole. Much of the chaos we see in today’s world and our country comes from the lack of fathers in the home or fathers deeply involved in the lives of their children.

One of the main drivers is the government paying people to have children out of wedlock. It began in earnest in the mid-60s with President Johnson’s “great society" plan. This has devastated many communities and our country as a whole.

As I observed my oldest son Sunday as they brought their second child home, I became overwhelmed with the knowledge of just how much of a better man he’s become through fatherhood.

Like me, he may not have been a “natural born dad," but for both of us it has been the greatest blessing life could ever bestow upon a man. To see the way he has stepped up to the task and fully embraced his role and responsibilities is one of the greatest Father’s Day gifts any dad could ever receive.

We see fathers in our culture denigrated in media as the helpless fool who’s just along for the ride. We have devalued fathers and fatherhood to a dangerously low level. It takes not only the man to live up to his obligations and duties as a father, but society as a whole to respect their role and their job.

I am doubly blessed on Father’s Day knowing I had a tremendous father myself and also seeing my children carrying on that legacy that goes many generations deep. It may not be easy at times, and much of it can entail thankless hard work, much like mothers, but it’s the best and most rewarding job a man could ever have. This is not to take anything at all away from the heroic, superhuman, hard-working single mothers who pull a heavy load every day. Just a reminder of how important dads are too!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis Malloy's own.