Armstrong Williams

The amount of influence the family life has on a child is eye-opening. Did you know that marriage reduces the probability of child poverty by 80%? Did you further know that a child coming from an “intact married home” is 44% more likely to gain a college degree, 40% less likely to have a child out of wedlock, and will earn $4,000 more per year than a child that did not come from such a home? The power of family life can, in many cases, determine the outcome of a child’s life.


It’s time to completely change the conversation on good parenting. Children are the product of their environment by what it does and does not provide. This new conversation has an important aspect- supportive involvement. The result from being involved help teenaged parents, single parent households and working two-parent families, avoid pitfalls their children may succumb to by having safe & support systems.

Research has shown that when parents are active in their child’s educational life, whether it’s reading to their child, holding high educational standards for their child, assisting their child withhomework, guiding their child in important decision-making processes, or meeting with their child’s teachers, their child will have higher grades and greater academic achievement compared to those who do not.

The positive impact of parental involvement should not be overlooked. Take for example the positive impact that family dinners can have on a child. Teenagers who live in a household that has regular family dinners are 11% less likely to use tobacco, 13% less likely to smoke marijuana, and 18% less likely to consume alcohol. Simply put, parental involved with children is a significant way to address barriers that arise, particularly when parent-child relationships are troubled.






Armstrong Williams
