How a boy life affected when raised without a father Essay

Both Wes Moore’s grew up without their fathers in their lives. Wes Moore’s father was taken away from him at an early age due to illness. His father had acute epiglottitis. Until the death of Wes Moore he had a close relationship. While The Other Wes Moore’s father choice to be absent from his child’s life. In the book we read that he tried to see The Other Wes Moore one night, drunk and pound on his mother’s door demanding to see Wes, but after not given access inside he vanished from Wes’s life. Studies show that â€Å"children with fathers at home tend to do better in school, are less prone to depression and are more successful in relationships. Children from one-parent families achieve less and get into trouble more than children from two parent families.† Both children were forced to learn a lot at a young age and in a way became the men of their households, in their father’s absences. Although because of the difference in their losses of their father’s the affects differed. The death of a parent can really damage a child. At times it can change just about everything about the child its future, its personality, its beliefs, its fears, its cravings, and how the child perceives the world itself. Death can traumatize anyone, but it is even more traumatic for a 6 year old boy. In the case of the other Wes Moore that had the father that didn’t choice not to take part in his child’s life it differs in the affects. Another study showed that 1,197 fourth-grade students were observed researchers that concluded the children that grew up without t â€Å"greater levels of aggression in boys from mother-only households than from boys in mother-father households.† This brings me to the assumption that because of The Other Wes Moore choice to go down the wrong path due to the circumstances that had been placed in his life. He was only bound to go down the wrong path because he had never had a good father figure or father in his life, while Wes Moore on the other hand had that. Wes Moore only had his father in his life for a short time period but yet a still he had his father in life while The Other Wes Moore never did. â€Å"Statistics have been quoted that the percentage of father absence homes is  as high as 60%. However, these statistics do not reflect the number of fathers who are physically present in the homes but maybe emotionally, psychologically or spiritually absent.† Which show’s me that there are a lot of young men in the world being raised with a father, and I am certain all of them are not in prison either. Though the author in â€Å"The Other Wes Moore† believes that he is â€Å"lucky†, one would not refer to his accomplishments as luck. Both Wes Moore’s’ were given various chances, to go to school, continue on with their education, and get a job to support their families. Although their stories were very similar by not having their fathers in their lives, or good males figure to guide them and raise them to be â€Å"men† they choice different paths in life. I believe that life is all about the choices you make for yourself. Regardless of who is there to guide you. Yes, it may be harder to grow up fast and lead yourself down the right path. But all is possible; so luck really did not have much of a part to in the author’s life. Wes Moore (the author) choice to make chances in his life for the better, he wanted better for himself and fought for it; while The Other Wes Moore didn’t. In some situations you are given many chances, others you are only given one. I feel as if smart, thought out decisions are more beneficial for me than fast decision where I haven’t thought about the repercussions for my action. Therefore, I believe if I were in either of the Wes Moore’s places I would have looked at life and made the decision the author made rather than The Other Wes Moore. In life we are given more than just luck, but an opportunity, a chance to be better and do better each and every day. It is up to one to take those chances. In their situations, it was obvious that they were looking for more than just â€Å"luck† at the time, school was not at the top of their to do list, working day and night at a job getting paid minimum wage wasn’t either. What’s amazing about this story is their lives could have easily been the same, both successful men with stories to share with the world, together. Or both behind bars for the rest of their lives, perhaps even cell mates with it being ironic of them both having the same first and last name as well as them heading down the same path at such a young age. Simply knowing the right from the wrong, even when times are hard. To make the right decision and take the right opportunity. Works Cited â€Å"Statistics of a Fatherless America.† _dads4kids.com._ Photius Coutsoukis, Copyright  © 1995-2002. Web. Revised 20-Jul-02. . N. Vaden-Kierman, N. Ialongo, J. Pearson, and S. Kellam, â€Å"Household Family Structure and Children’s Aggressive Behavior: A Longitudinal Study of Urban Elementary School Children,† _Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology_ 23, no. 5 (1995). _One Parent Families and Their Children: The School’s Most Significant Minority,_ conducted by The Consortium for the Study of School Needs of Children from One Parent Families, co sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the Institute for Development of Educational Activities, a division of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Arlington, VA., 1980