DeSantis: Fatherlessness is the main source of societal problems, calls on dads to step up
“If you had every kid in America had a loving father in the home, we would have far, far fewer problems that we would have to deal with as a society,” said DeSantis.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis points to fatherlessness as a main source of societal problems, echoing observations performed by sociologists and psychologists who’ve diagnosed numerous societal issues to the current lack of fathers.
Speaking in a late May interview with First Class Fatherhood, the Republican governor called on fathers to set an example for their children by being “interested” and “present” in their lives, the Daily Wire reported.
“If you had every kid in America had a loving father in the home, we would have far, far fewer problems that we would have to deal with as a society,” said DeSantis.
“I do think there are a lot of problems, but if you could just snap your finger and do one thing, and you did this where the fathers were in the home, you would not even need to worry about a lot of these other problems,” added the governor.
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau strongly correlates with DeSantis’ remarks. According to numbers, over 18 million children in the United States, who make up one out of every four kids, grow up without a father in their home.
DeSantis and his administration are using these statistics to urge fathers to be present in their kids’ lives – and the governor himself has chosen to lead by example by raising several kids of his own, sacrificing his time at the office to be closer to his family.
“When my daughter was born, I was a member of congress at the time up in Washington,” said the governor, who . “So I’m looking at myself, I’m sitting up in my office in D.C., wondering, ‘Why the hell am I up here? I really want to be back down.’”
Prior to his position as Florida’s governor, DeSantis served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Florida’s 6th District.
He told the podcast that he now has more duties as governor, but he still finds the job to be more “family friendly” due to his office’s proximity to his home.
“I can go out and do stuff all day and be home for dinner,” he said. “Even if I get home late, I see them in the morning. And so part of the reason why I ended up running for governor is because I had two young kids at home, and so if I’m going to do public service I wanted to make sure I can do it in a way that is family friendly.”
“I try to get back for dinner, try to get back to put them to bed, get them up in the morning, and of course doing as many activities with them as possible,” DeSantis added, telling the podcast how he tries to keep his children involved in his duties.
“I brought my son to a multi-city stop one day. We did a bunch of press conferences. The last press conference, he fell asleep on the floor during the press conference, so I had to grab him and take him out,” he shared with a smile. “We do make an effort to involve them and let them be able to see what is really a great state to live in.”
The governor’s remarks come following his passage of legislation in April which aims to support fathers and their children by connecting boys with mentorship programs and men with career services.
“There are more than 18 million children in our country who live without a father in their home,” said DeSantis at the signing event. “This has a severe impact on children, and often leads to dropping out of school, crime and substance abuse. Incredibly, there are those who diminish the importance of fatherhood and the nuclear family – we will not let that happen in our state. I am proud to say we are doing everything we can to support involved fatherhood in Florida.”
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