Sunday is father's day. A day society sets aside to honor our own fathers, and the fathers of our children. But one other generation of fathers is not getting enough attention--the fathers our sons will become (or not become). As of 2002, roughly 70 percent of young men had sex by age 19 even though less than a third are likely to be married by the time they reach 30. That's a lot of years to be careful about not getting pregnant until he's ready to be a dad. Most single guys in their early 20s are using some form of protection (85%), but that leaves 15% using nothing at all. And of those who say they use a condom only about one third say they use it every time.

The result? Among 15 to 24 year olds, 20% have already fathered a pregnancy, with roughly half being unplanned and most being outside of marriage (and that doesn't even count the pregnancies they don't know about).

My point? While we're busy reminding our sons to send a nice card or call their dads on father's day, let's take the opportunity to talk to our sons--remind them that being a dad is hard work, life changing even, and something that should wait until two people are committed to each other and to parenthood for the long haul. And that means being responsible in their relationships. It's one of the best ways to honor how awesome dads can be.

My cousin became a single mom last year. I don't know the other 1,714,642...

Families are diverse. I get that. I experience this diversity among my friends, neighbors, colleagues and family members. Any one of us can look within our own circle of humanity and see families of all shapes and sizes--one parent, two parent, married, unmarried--who are wonderfully dedicated to their children (or not), and who are thriving (or struggling) at a particular point in time. And whenever the media or the wonks wring their hands over the declining numbers of married parent families, I hear about someone's sister who became president of a bank while raising her son on her own (and doing just fine thank you very much), or the friend who got tired of waiting for Mr. Right and conceived through sperm donation, or the neighbor couple who aren't really sure enough to tie the knot but are very good parents to their baby girl.

These personal stories are offered as a counterpoint to national statistics that warn of increased risks to child well-being as married parent families become a thing of the past. But one does not negate the other--both the personal stories and the national statistics are likely true.

We will always find among us parents with enough resilience to overcome adversity, but the national data tell us that, on average, raising children outside of a stable two parent family increases the adversity that parents will need to overcome. I believe in embracing all children and their families, but we also need to acknowledge that some paths into parenthood are more perilous than others--for both parents and their children.

As Stefanie points out below, and as several of our other bloggers have mentioned, the media--TV, movies, magazines, etc.--are brimming with "information" about sex and relationships. Sometimes they even go so far as to point out that sex without contraception can lead to pregnancy. However, these Hollywood portrayals more often than not lead to some sort of happy ending in which the couple sticks together and everything works out by the time the credits roll around.

If only real life worked out so neatly...just yesterday I was reading the morning free paper and stumbled upon an advice column featuring a letter from a woman who is concerned about her friend who became pregnant as the result of a drunken hook-up with a former boyfriend. According to the letter, the friend is holding on to the hope that the boyfriend (who has previously stolen, lied, and cheated) will come back because of the baby. Have you heard this from someone you know? How'd it turn out?

Unfortunately, research suggests that most couples who have an unplanned pregnancy aren't married or even living together by the time the baby is two (i.e. "Sex won't make him yours, and a baby won't make him stay"). Far be it from me to say that drunken trysts with ex-boyfriends are off-limits, but it's time we start talking and thinking about the consequences of conceiving and bearing children as a result. Huge advances in the field of family planning have given us great contraceptive methods that can be used/taken/inserted long before we are at the bar/club/bedroom. So...

How do we encourage more people to use these modern, effective methods instead of relying on the mantra of "it won't happen to me"...or thinking it might be for the best if it "accidentally" does?

Somehow I managed to live 30+ years without having to change a single diaper, but that all changed eight weeks ago today when my wife and I became new parents to our daughter, Lucy. While I am not a parenting expert yet and still have a lot of questions, I think I am getting the hang of life as a new parent. Dirty diapers, it turns out, are only the tip of the iceberg. In the last two months, I have learned a great deal about babies and what it means to be a father - things I never knew before.

Get your Mr. Mom on after the jump.

I hear that NBC's "Baby Borrowers" is one of the biggest summer shows EVER. I have watched all the episodes now, each several times. I love it. Truly, madly deeply. I started watching because I had to (the Campaign developed discussion guides for the show though we had nothing to do with its basic premise or taping), but I am now a flat-out convert.

Tonight, NBC is airing a special follow up about the show, and because I am in this special (please do NOT watch my segment unless you promise to tell me that I looked 32....), I have now had extensive contact not only with the teen couples but also the "lender" parents and the show's wonderful creator, Richard McKerrow. Based on hours with all these people and others, I am more convinced than ever that this program is a force for good. It reveals in living color why teens are best advised to postpone parenthood—and it does so without being preachy or annoying. In particular, it shows how the stress of babies is overwhelms fragile teens relationships.

Shocking news bulletin: None of the couples are still together....

I also think that all the whining about how traumatic the experience of being "lent" was to the babies is not credible. Think babysitters. Think day care centers. Think, we went to NYC for the weekend but my sister took care of Baby Walter.... ALL the lender parents would do it again in a heartbeat.

I must also report that (1) there was more food backstage for the taping of this show that I saw at the last three weddings I attended combined, and (2) l loved the "hair and make-up" gig. I think they took 5 years off me...no small feat.

9 pm in the East. NBC. Tonight.

On June 25th, NBC premieres its riveting new reality show, The Baby Borrowers.  Over six intense, heartwarming, and hilarious episodes we see teen couples who think they're ready to have children, care for real, live babies, then toddlers, then tweens, then teenagers and finally senior citizens.  It's life in fast forward as they try to negotiate the challenges of parenting along with maintaining their relationships.  Unlike other reality shows - no one gets voted off here, no one is competing for a prize - the drama is the journey itself and the rewards are lessons learned about adult life. Learn more about the show at http://www.nbc.com/The_Baby_Borrowers/.

The Campaign has been lucky to work with NBC around the launch of this show, and we've collaborated with them on discussion guides for parents and teens who watch together and want to talk about it.  Please take the time to check out The Baby Borrowers on June 25th at 8PM ET/PT.  And let us know what you think about it!

Spoiler alert: There wasn't a dry eye in the house when we watched the final episode.