Fathers can change the world

When talk turns to finding solutions to some of our society's most profound problems, including underperforming students, drug abuse and the proliferation of gangs, attention frequently focuses on finding more money for schools, teachers and law enforcement.

Those may well be important aspects needed for improvement in those areas, but on this Father's Day it's worth reminding ourselves once again that the best long term solution to those problems is the same thing that helped cause them to be problems " parenting, or, unfortunately, the lack of it.

The answer to "what's wrong with those kids" can often be traced back to a lack of involvement or control on the part of parents. And frequently it's not that parents don't love their children or are intentionally shirking their duties. We live in a time when many people must work long hours to make ends meet. And an estimated one out of every three children in Nevada is growing up in a single parent household.

Is it any wonder that teachers can often be heard bemoaning the fact that they find themselves serving as surrogate parents for children who get little guidance at home. Children will find role models, and if there are no positive ones available, they'll frequently find them elsewhere. We're lucky to have programs that recognize that " the Mentor Center and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, for example " but there is nothing with a greater power to change the lives of children than parents who show they care, through words and actions. It's a tough job, and often thankless, but it's the most important job in the world. We salute all those parents.

Happy Father's Day.

This editorial represents the view of the Nevada Appeal Editorial Board.