Ephesians 6:4: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
WHEN THE FATHERS ARE ABSENT
A research was conducted on the effect of absence of father figure on children. The result showed an alteration in the behavioural pattern of children some of which include: Anger&rage( as a result of frustration, hurt or neglect), denial & fantasy( this could lead to personality disorder), guilt( false guilt occur in the case of divorce), Impulsive changes( this affects physical appearance especially dressing, body piercing and tattoos etc), Possessiveness(always wanting to control relationships). Though I was not part of this research team, I agree with their findings totally.
Another research findings showed that most American gangsters were raised by single mothers. Not only in America, this is also true about street urchins here in Africa. I work with children and teenagers. I have seen these things repeatedly. A woman told me to help handle her son because of behavioural changes. I tried my best to put that young man on track but I noticed I can only do little in a short time because his major problem was the absence of a father figure in his growing years and probably the lifestyle of his mother. The mother admitted to me that he needed someone who could stand as a father figure in his life.
We have delinquent children today mostly because we have weak and absent fathers. In my opinion, if the devil want to destroy a child's destiny, he makes the father a vagabond. Some children only hear their father is alive but they aren't privileged to sit under him to learn and receive fatherly love. You must find time to be with your children no matter how busy your schedule is. Everybody talks about mother's love but most people don't know about the father's love. Children need to grow up knowing that they are loved by their father and mother. Some male children do not have the requisite leadership skill to lead their homes because they didn't take leadership lessons from their father firsthand. They handle their wives anyhow while some who have wife-beating fathers do same to their wives and the cycle continues. There's no holiday in fatherhood, be there for your family always.
Father, we pray you settle homes in crisis and that you restore absentee fathers to their homes in Jesus name.