Roland Says: "Man up and be a real dad" - I say "Amen!"

Roland S. Martin's commentaries on CNN.COM are usually very interesting reading, even if I rarely agree with him. Then again, if I always agreed with him and others... Then it'd mean that we think alike and if we all though alike, this country would be in a lot better shape (assuming we all thought MY way. LOL)

Today though, Mr. Martin has posted a very good column that I totally agree with.

There's an old saying. "Any male can be a father, it takes someone special to be a Daddy."

And buddy, that's the truth.

There are far too many children growing up without the benefit of a Daddy. There are far too many men, or rather males who wanted the fun of procreation without taking the responsibility for the created.

My first wife and I tried to have children, but it wasn't meant to be. They all failed in miscarriages. Many years later I was fortunate enough to get involved in the lives of a wonderful divorced woman and her then twelve year old son. A young man who never knew his father and had been raised to that point by his grandmother and mother, with some influence from his late grandfather.

Luckily for him, his grandmother and mother had done a great job protecting and raising him, but at twelve, he was entering those rebellious years of teen-hood. The age where he needed a firm male hand and role model in his life. I say I was fortunate, and I was in that both, he and his mother accepted my willingness to fill that role. I didn't to do a lot, just be there for him, talk with him and try to guide him through the turmoil of his teen years. My reward was having a son to be proud of and watching him grown into a man to be proud of. Now almost 17 years later, his mother and I look at him with great pride and a feeling of accomplishment. Is he perfect? Nope and neither are we. However, we have a man who is loving, a hard working professional and who will be a good provider. A man who hasn't ruined his life with crime, drugs or booze.

Sadly, for many children, their fathers can't be around to provide that role. Even sadder are those cases where the fathers COULD be around but aren't. The worst though is where the fathers ARE around but negligent. It is primarily to THOSE fathers that Mr. Martin is addressing when he tells them to "Man up and be a real dad".

To which I say, "Hear, hear!" and "Amen!"

Please read Mr. Martin's column and pass it on to a father who could use a kick in the pants.

Also, with Father's Day coming up, please at least shake the hands of any Daddy's you know. Men who have done or are doing their jobs and taking care of their responsibilities.

Commentary: Man up and be a real dad - CNN.com: ""