This summer's surge of "teen takeovers" has reinforced a timeless truth: strong fathers build strong families and communities.
Despite the sanitized phrasing by many mainstream media outlets, most Americans who see the horrifying news footage recognize that these events have, in numerous cases, escalated into violence marked by fights, shootings andassaults against law enforcement officers.
Some so-called experts have blamed isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed these riots represent a "desperate need for connection." It's time we stop making excuses and recognize the only institution that can eliminate this violence: strong families rooted in faith.
Tennessee has worked to stay ahead of the problem
While our state has largely been spared from this deliberate chaos, no Tennessean
should have to fear that a trip downtown might expose their children to mob violence. Lawmakers in the Volunteer State have worked to prevent this from happening here by strengthening judges' ability to make informed bail decisions for juvenile offenders and ensuring parents are held accountable for their children's repeated delinquent behavior.
These laws will certainly help protect Tennesseans, but legislators can only do so much. Ultimately, no one plays a bigger role than the fathers and mothers tasked with raising the next generation.
As society increasinglyexcuses violence andfails to hold criminals accountable, present parents have never been more important in shaping the character of our nation's future.
The cost of fatherlessness is widespread
These riots should come as no surprise when you consider that more than 18.6 million children in the United States live insingle-parent households, and15.3 million of them are growing up without a father in the home. That's one in five kids who might never receive the life lessons, discipline, training and love that only a father can offer.
The impact of the fatherless crisis is impossible to ignore. A 2025report estimates that absent fathers cost American taxpayers $154 billion through federal assistance programs for single-mother households in 2018, a 54% increase from 2006. But this national emergency extends far beyond money. Absent fathers have also led todeclining mental health andincreased homelessness,behavioral problems andincarceration.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)recognizes parental separation as an adverse childhood experience, and research shows that adolescents who experience family dysfunction aresignificantly more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviors. Tragically, four in 10 high school studentsreported experiencing depressive symptoms in 2023, while 9% attempted suicide, according to the CDC.
Research links family instability and crime
Fatherlessness can also lead to criminal behavior, with 68% of youth offenders raised by single mothers, despite these homes accounting for approximately a quarter of families. When that leads to incarceration, Tennessee taxpayers bear the cost through prison construction, operations and expansions. The fiscally conservative approach is to prevent crime before it happens by investing in strong fathers and families.
God was clear when he instructed fathers to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. That starts by being present in the home. No child should be intentionally deprived of God's design for the home because there is no institution with a better track record of success.
I can't imagine where I might be without my father's guidance. A World War II veteran, my dad grew up during the Great Depression and passed on many of the invaluable lessons he learned, shaping me into the man I am today. Countless Tennesseans have shared similar stories with me about their fathers' vital role in their lives.
Strong families require leadership at every level
Many issues compete for attention on Capitol Hill in Nashville, but we can never allow fatherhood and family stability to fall by the wayside. It's why I've sponsored several resolutions in the General Assembly to keep these critical issues front and center.
While it's impossible to legislate strong families, Tennessee Republicans have worked hard to pass laws that make our state the best in the nation to raise children.
These policies have created opportunities. Now it's time for fathers to lead.
State Rep. Mike Sparks lives in Smyrna and represents District 49 in the Tennessee House of Representatives, which includes part of Rutherford County.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee's future depends on strong fathers | Opinion
