[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12392]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD AND ENCOURAGING GREATER INVOLVEMENT 
               OF FATHERS IN THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 14, 2004

  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, we often hear negative comments about 
fathers and fatherhood, about ``deadbeat dads'' and absent fathers.
  It's easy to forget that there are millions of American fathers who 
love their wives and their children.
  They get up every morning and go to work to support their families.
  They go to baseball games and ballet performances and school plays.
  They help their kids with their homework, chaperone proms and mow the 
lawn.
  They treat their wives with respect and model healthy relationships.
  They make sacrifices and invest in the next generation.
  Current research shows that these daily acts of responsibility and 
faithfulness have a major impact on child well-being.
  Statistics show us that marriage is the foundation of responsible 
fatherhood, and that fathers who are married to the mothers of their 
children are more likely to be involved in their children's lives.
  But, we don't need statistics to tell us that committed, involved 
fathers are essential to the preservation of the family.
  On Sunday, thousands of families in my district will celebrate 
Father's Day.
  Amid all the distractions of our society, many will stop, for just a 
minute, to honor ``Dad.''
  It seems that politics and social change and the faddish nature of 
our culture have not been able to erase the enduring value of 
fatherhood and the imprint that fathers have in my district and across 
this great nation.

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