Even though he was a single father, the anonymous guy had his priorities straight. To make his 6-year-old daughter feel special, the single father planned to take her out for a special dinner date, but he had no idea the night would end in tears.
Rather than taking out his current romance, he made his small child his date on a special night. Yet things were about to take an unexpected turn. The two had no clue that two strangers were observing them as they chatted, laughed, and ate some great spaghetti at a restaurant named The Old Spaghetti Factory.
But when the waitress approached their table, it all became clear. The waitress gave him a letter while he sat with his kid, ignorant to the fact that he was being observed. He won’t lie, he cried at the table, he said in an Imgur post that included a photograph of the message he received.
“Hi, there! Sorry to spy, but my husband and I saw you out with your little date,” the message began. The strangers then left the dad in tears as they complimented his parenting. “[We] were so impressed with what a great Dad you are,”they went on. But there was much more to this message.
Then they disclosed an all-too-familiar truth, revealing why they needed to speak to this single father as he sat with his darling baby. “From two adults who grew up without dads,” they modestly stated, “it’s so important to have a male role model at a young age.”
Strangers’ compliments were not the only treat the father-daughter combo received. “Keep up the good work Dad! Dinner is on us! ” Their message ended by telling the father that they were grateful to him for doing what a man should do but that far too many do not.
Although this wonderful tale demonstrates the goodwill that can be found in today’s society, it also highlights a serious issue. Too many men do not devote enough time to becoming true fathers to their kids. Unfortunately, according to the Washington Times, fifteen million American children, or one in every three, are fatherless. While the number of fathers in households is decreasing, their relevance in the lives of their kids is not.
Having a father role is advantageous on several levels, such as the fact that kids with dads have a higher chance of effectively conveying emotions. Dads provide a distinct viewpoint and provide kids with another person to turn to and depend on, resulting in increased confidence when confronting new challenges. When a parent is absent, the results may be disastrous. The numbers speak for themselves:
*63% of juvenile suicides occur in fatherless families (US Department of Health/Census), which is 5 times the national rate.
*90% of homeless and runaway kids come from fatherless families, which is 32 times the national rate.
*85% of all kids with behavioral issues come from fatherless families, which is 20 times the national norm. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
*80% of rapists with anger issues come from fatherless families, which is 14 times the national norm. (Justice & Behavior, p. 403-26)
*71% of all high school dropouts are from fatherless families, which is 9 times the national rate. (According to the National Principals Association)
Maybe this is why the strangers in this tale were so determined to attract attention to what they saw. If we only take a moment to look around, we will realize that there is good in almost every scenario; it’s just that it’s so frequently missed. In an increasingly fatherless culture, we may still find fathers who lavish their affection on their daughters and sons. To better authentically portray the reality we live in, we need to give the positive as much emphasis as the negative.
Good parents, whether dads or moms, single or married, should be praised. Parenting is a difficult job, yet so many of us stand up every day to give it our best. Even though it is our obligation and something we should do, it is wonderful to have it acknowledged. Therefore, as one single father put it on Imgur, “Thank you, random strangers. Thank you.”
I wish I could thank them
