TO THE EDITOR:

The incident at Red Lake is a terrible tragedy and it seems that the incident encompassed far more than just one troubled young man. As more young men are being questioned by the Grand Jury in regards to the Red Lake shooting.
We may all think: ìHow did this happen?î ìWho is responsible? Who can we blame?î

While it would be nice to blame the school system or law enforcement, we know that it isnít their responsibility to raise our children. A major contributor of tragedies like this and those at other schools is FATHER ABSENCE.

For decades, for too many reasons, fathers have been prevented from being as involved in the lives of their children as they would like to or should be. These barriers need to be removed and this must happen immediately or the alienation of our children will continue its downward spiral.

Itís time for fathers to start paying attention to their children, to value them for who they are. It is time for communities to begin to remove the barriers to this happening. If fathers donít tell their children they love and cherish them who will?
A child attains feelings of worth through the love of their parents not the guidance of teachers and law enforcement

As a community we must be committed to the concept of reconnecting dads with their children and children with their dads. Itís time for fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, and other father-figures to get involved with their children: to make that extra effort to overcome the barriers they face daily.

As a community we will find that not only can this be done, but that it must be done in order for future generations to benefit from doing the right thing. Dads take time to listen to your children and get involved, to open their hearts to their children.

It will take a concerted effort on the part of some key people to make it happen.
The community will find that it is worth the effort; to insure that dads and children get back together.

Teachers and administrators must believe that the plan of father involvement is not only the right path to take, but it is the path that must be taken. Most of all, everyone needs to realize the value and worth of making sacrifices to get the job done; so fathers can become actively involved in the lives of their children.

Gene A. Banks MS,
Diversity Specialist
Early Childhood and
Family Development
Lakes and Pines CAC, Inc.

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