John Leo:
... Two decades of research produced a consensus among social scientists of both left and right that family structure has a serious impact on children, even when controlling for income, race, and other variables. In other words, we are not talking about a problem of race but about a problem of family formation or, rather, the lack of it. The best outcomes for children--whether in academic performance, avoidance of crime and drugs, or financial and economic success--are almost invariably produced by married biological parents. The worst results are by never-married women.
... The upshot of these studies is that America is confronted by a form of poverty that money alone can't cure. Many of us think social breakdown is a result of racism and poverty. Yes, they are factors, but study after study shows that alterations in norms and values are at the heart of economic and behavioral troubles. That's why so much research boils down to the old rule: If you want to avoid poverty, finish high school, don't have kids in your teens, and get married.
Nailed It!
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What is extremely intersting is if you look at the out of wedlock birth rates among the main ethnic groups in the US you will find that a perfect negative correlation exists with IQ scores.
Rank of percentage of out of wedlock births (hi to low)
African-American
Hispanic
White
Asian-American
Rank of IQ scores (hi to low)
Asian-American
White
Hispanic
African-American
Also when you look into the groups and look at the subgroups you will find the same thing as Japanese and Chinese, and Indian Americans have the higher IQ scores and lower out of wedlock birth rates than those found among Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans who have higher out of wedlock birth rates.
Family structure is probably the single most important environmental factor with regard to IQ and genetic factors are the most important overall as studies of identical twins raised apart have shown that those twins correlate on IQ scores at about .80 and that the identical twin's IQ scores have absolutely no significant correlation to their adopted parents or step sibling's IQ scores...
My dad and stepfather were both positive influences on me as a youngster: I knew that if I was disrespectful, or messed up in other ways, they had the capability to kick my a$$. Not that it ever happened, but knowing the "nuclear option" was there was a great motivator.
Recently, my 16 year old son decided he was going to test me, by first disrespecting his mother, then me. I simply picked him up by firmly grabbing his t-shirt at the shoulders and deposited him on the floor a couple of feet from where he was sitting.
The message was sent, and understood (for how long remains to be seen): his old man still has the ability to employ the nuclear option when necessary. We had an excellent conversation about it the next day.
My son admitted he was not hurt, but boy was he surprised!
"A son does not learn how to become a son until he becomes a father." Ambrose Bierce
Belated thanks to my father and stepfather..may they rest in peace.