The father is an integral part of the family. Traditional family values have always maintained this and few would doubt that a father figure is a positive thing for children. Experts say that within the next decade, the number of unconventional families will outnumber "traditional" ones. More and more, research shows that we may be heading in a bad direction.

Children growing up without the stability of a two-parent home are much more at risk than their peers. Needless to say, there are always exceptions, but certainly life without Daddy stacks the odds against the kids. Drug abuse, emotional and health problems, academic troubles and anger - children growing up without their father are increasingly susceptible to all these and more. Following are research results pointing out the pitfalls of households with inattentive or absent fathers: