Studies show that the risk of juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, sexual abuse, early pregnancy and dropping out of high school is six times higher for children whose biological fathers are not part of their lives.

Young children may look at the absence of their father as a personal rejection. "They see not having dad around as proof there's something wrong with them."

Even in families that have a dad, it's more important for him to be at the weekly soccer games than for him to be working late so the family can afford a fancy vacation every two years. "Luxuries aren't really what a kid needs and wants."

Dads become especially critical during adolescence. Generally, fathers are better at setting limits with teenage boys.Teenage boys, who are on the brink of losing control, calm down quite a bit by having their dads show up. It can keep things from escalating further.

Important as fathers are to sons, they may be even more important to the development and behavior of teenage daughters. Girls are twice as likely as boys to become depressed after puberty.

A female's mood changes are often linked to estrangement from Dad. Girls are "looking to Dad to give them a clue about guys. But they miss out if Dad isn't there."

In addition, the quality of the relationship between a teenage daughter and her father is predictive of the quality of a committed relationship she will have in her young adult years.

And this may be the most amazing finding of all: girls who grow up without their biological father are likely to physically mature faster, reach puberty earlier than their peers, and get pregnant early.

How does father absence accelerate puberty in daughters? It's not clear. Early puberty may be a response to high rates of conflict and stress in divorced and blended families.

Or early menstruation may result from the presence of a non-related male in the home, in the case of remarriage and blended families. The body can detect the presence of a genetically unrelated "strange male" in the immediate vicinity, and that seems to trigger sexual readiness. The earlier and longer the exposure to stepfather or other unrelated male adult in the household, the stronger the effect.

The same studies show that puberty is delayed by the presence of the biological father in the household. And the more that fathers interact with their daughters when young, the more puberty is delayed.

Aside from the risk of early pregnancy, the trouble with early physical maturation is the likelihood that girls will not be emotionally mature enough to cope with male attention as a result of their precocious sexuality.

Simply put, dads count in ways we never imagined before. So if you haven't done so thus far, now is the time to take a stand and get involved in your kids lives. They need you more than you realize!!!