The lessons we teach them

S, who is two, was playing with a mega blocks truck and the little workman that accompanied it.
As he played, he dialogged his little fantasy.

"Man go to work. Man go home. Man go to Work. Man go home. Man happy!"
He repeated this over and over. His little man would get in the truck and got to work and then he would get out of his truck and go home and be happy.

I looked over at ZooDad and told him that our little two year old had already learned an important lesson. That a man goes to work to support his family then he comes home to be with them and this makes him happy. That working and being a provider then spending time at home is a worthwhile accomplishment. S has picked that up from watching his Daddy. Knowing that daddy does go to work away from us, but that he will come home and he will be happy.
What an amazing thing for a 2 year old to grasp!

Then I think of the two year old boys that don't have the experience of "man goes to work, man comes home, he's happy." What do they learn? Do the boys with absent fathers learn what men should do to support themselves and their families? Do they learn that they should always be taken care of because they only see their mom taking care of them. They never get to see the give and take relationship between a husband and wife. They sharing of responsibilities and the support given to make life more rewarding.
Currently 34% of all children born are illegitimate. If we assume half are males that means that 17% of all males born every day have no daily male role model. How do they learn to be fathers and husbands if they never see what a fathers and husbands do.

I don't know what to do about that. But I do fear what it will do for our society.

I sure am glad that my sons have learned those important lessons.
The man goes to work.
The man comes home.
and the man is happy.