There is one problem that surpasses all others in its impact on men, women, and society. It is the family father wound. We focus on the importance of mothers in determining the well-being of children. Yet, without the support of their fathers, men become disconnected from their true selves, feeling that others are controlling their lives. The family father wound may be the most pervasive, most important, and least recognized problem facing men and their families today.

However, the family father wound, resulting from physical or emotional absence, has been largely ignored. Disconnected males, without a strong sense of inner guidance, can become abusive towards women and destructive towards men. We've seen this with the outpouring of sexual abuse allegations involving many prominent men. More than 20 million children live in a home without the physical presence of a father. Millions more have dads who are physically present but emotionally absent. If it were classified as a disease, "fatherlessness" would be an epidemic worthy of attention as a national emergency.

The male anger and rage we see in everything from domestic violence to school shootings has its roots, I believe, in trauma resulting from growing up in families with disconnected and dysfunctional fathers. Yet, this childhood wounding can be healed.

My 15th book, My Distant Dad: Healing the Family Father Wound, is an adventure story to find the father I lost when I was five years old. It's also a tale of redemption and healing for both my father and myself.