As Father's Day approaches and Americans reflect on the role that fathers play in children's lives, some are warning that a decline in community involvement is leaving young people vulnerable to bad influences.As traditional networks of mentors fade, many children are turning to social media for guidance.King Randall, founder of the mentorship organization The X for Boys and The X for Boys Life Preparatory School in Albany, Ga., believes the problem extends beyond fatherlessness, and lies in the movement away from community.
The father and professional mentor, who teaches children through real-world lessons and life skills training, argues that by pulling away from a "village" mentality, social media and technology have been left to fill the void created by absent role models."I believe in the village concept when it comes to fatherhood.I wasn't raised solely by my father or stepfather or my uncle or grandfathers – they all had a collective part in helping to raise me.
I believe nowadays we've gotten to a point where we feel as if only I know what's best for my child, when I believe that multiple people should be having an effect on your child," Randall told Fox News Digital.OPINION: I’VE BEEN A PASTOR FOR 40 YEARS.YOUNG MEN ARE STRUGGLING AND I THINK I KNOW WHYKing Randall takes boys to different places with the goal of teaching them life skills.
(The X for Boys)He argued that "egos" can often get in the way of children learning skills, with parents not wanting to admit that they don't know how to do something, leaving their son or daughter without crucial life lessons.This is something that he practices with his own children.
Randall told Fox News Digital that he strives to have different kinds of men who can impart wisdom to his children, similar to the way he was raised.Without these in-person role models and with busy parents, children and teens are turning to social media for guidance, according to Randall.He said that parents have started using phone...