Obama on Single Dads

[SmokinMeanRibz]

I was just browsing the interweb looking for a few resources pertaining to grants for single fathers to go back to school when I came upon Obama's "Grants for single mothers" stimulus package ordeal. Upon further research, I came across these quotes.



We need fathers to recognize their responsibility doesn’t just end at conception…what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child, any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father, it’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.

And to all you mothers out there, you need help! We need to help all of those mothers out there who are raising their kids by themselves. The mothers who drop them off at school and go to work and pick them up in the afternoon and work another shift … protect the family and do all of the things that a parent is supposed to do. So many women in our community are doing this in a heroic fashion.

We are so proud of all of those single moms out there doing such incredible work. But they need support, they need another parent in the home. Their children need another parent in the home. That’s what keeps the foundation of our country strong… I know the toll being a single parent took on my mother, how she struggled sometimes to pay the bills. How she struggled to give us the things that other kids had…she struggled to play all of the roles that a parent is supposed to take.

And he also calls out married fathers who aren’t as active as they should be:
It’s a wonderful thing if you’re married and living with your children but don’t just sit in the house watching Sports Center all day… so many of our children are growing up in front of the television set and playing video games. Turn them off and read a book to your child!


Thanks for the tips Obama!

[jamessick]

You know he has an A#1, full throttle NJ on his hands too.

[SmokinMeanRibz]

haha...probably wrote the speech for him.

[Trevor]

Cite your source pls, I'd like to see whether the same is available for single fathers too. I have seen mamy programs that are positioned toward women because of the applicable numbers, but open to men as well...including grants for single fathers to go back to school. We all know the exceptions in the realm of battered person shelters, where men are forbidden.

[formylilgirl]

You know he has an A#1, full throttle NJ on his hands too.

and a live in mother in law

[jerico08]

Politicians pander to whomever they are speaking with at the moment. In this case it was a room full of women. They all drift like the wind trying to get votes and money. This goes from your local council person straight up to the President. End of the day most forgot the speech they read (most are written for them) and off to the next fund raiser.

There are many decent hard working single moms and a lot of absent fathers, the statistics show that. But we in this forum are the talking points for Dads who ARE in our childrens lives, and still would be a family unit had it not been for a nutjob ex wife who purely games the system.

We are a small but growing voice overshadowed by a biased family court system. Our voices are getting heard though, some states and courts are looking at 50/50 as the norm and alimony reform .
Keep the faith

[SmokinMeanRibz]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-502443_162- ... 02443.html

I'm just saying that if he is going to give a "motivational" speech to dead beat dads, leave it at that. If he is going to lecture fathers like that - don't turn around and praise single moms. Either lecture both or encourage both.

But yea - everything is political. This speech may not have even been his true feelings.

[Fatheroffour]

Politicians are a nut job class all their own. You can't believe a single fackin word that comes out of their mouth so it's really a waste of energy to get bent about anything they say.

Even paying attention to what they say is a fools errand. They'll say whatever they think it'll take to keep your mind off of the unconscionable things they've done. The Tuesday after the first Monday in November is the time to express your displeasure at the actions they've taken.

[Trevor]

I remember that 2008 speech. Made me feel a bit weird too. Sucks that his Dad bailed on his family when he was 2, or the speech may have been a little different.

[Noyning]

I feel like he is speaking directly to the "black community"