D.C. has finally gotten a handle on its teenage pregnancy rate with the numbers of teens getting pregnant at the lowest rate the city has seen in recent years. As a result, the D.C. Department of Health has also reported a reduction in the infant mortality rate, which gives District officials something else to celebrate. But as we have noted in this newspaper in the past, an overwhelming number of newborns are still being born to teen moms and young single women, but there is a new phenomenon of young fathers seen walking their children to school, pushing strollers and demanding opportunities to spend quality time with their offspring.
With the high unemployment rate, many of these young men have nothing to offer their children but time and in the life of a child, there is nothing more precious or valuable than spending time with dad. For all of the fathers out there, we wish you a Happy Father's Day and hope you will enjoy receiving the love and appreciation you deserve. For all of the young fathers who are trying to find their way, we encourage you to model yourselves after the father you wish you had – loving, supportive, healthy and strong but most importantly, present in your children's lives. This day is for you.