I was visiting a middle school in Central Indiana during my second term as governor when a member of my staff posed a question to the class:

"Who can tell me what it means to be a good father?"

A boy sitting at the front of the room shot his hand into the air.

"Someone who will come around sometimes," he said, "and who remembers to bring diapers for the baby."

There was not a hint of bitterness in his voice. To the contrary, this youngster felt blessed for the chance to occasionally see his dad, cherishing even the smallest gesture of fatherly regard shown to his sibling. The subtext was tragically clear: Many of his peers did not know their fathers at all.

Today, as we honor fatherhood and recognize the vital role that active dads play in molding their children into responsible adults, I count myself blessed for having been raised by a devoted father.

Sadly, 24 million children will mark this day with no father in their lives at all. As I spend this Father's Day with my sons, I cannot help but think of the thousands of Hoosier children who do not know a father's love.

The number of American children growing up in homes with absent fathers has more than quadrupled over the past 40 years. Children who grow up without a dad are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime. They are more likely to drop out of school, more likely to commit suicide and more likely to become teenage parents.

"I fathered a child; I'm a man" has become the mantra of millions of young men who, for a variety of reasons, become absent from their children's lives. As a society, it's time we asked more from our men. The longer we stay silent, the more men begin to think it's OK to walk away from their children.

Fatherlessness is an issue many politicians would prefer to avoid. But, in my view, elected officials have a moral obligation not to sit idly by while communities crumble because of the epidemic of absent fathers. I am not naive enough to believe that government alone can solve this problem, but together we can play a constructive role in crafting policies that attack the root causes of this epidemic.

That's why last Friday I introduced legislation with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Rep. Julia Carson, D-Ind., to provide economic and social support to help fathers reconnect with their children. We want to fund programs that teach parenting skills, increase access to job training and promote financial literacy so fathers can be less dependent on welfare and regain the pride and purpose that will help them see themselves as the role models they should be.

We also propose new steps to help the millions of single moms left to bear the Herculean challenge of playing the roles of both mother and father. One of my proudest achievements as Indiana governor was doubling child-support collections. We used "most wanted" posters to track down deadbeat parents and intercepted their tax refunds, lottery winnings and unemployment benefits.

Nearly one in four Indiana children live in homes where no father is present, according to the Indiana Youth Institute. It's time we give these heroic women the help they need.

No law can force fathers to accept the roles their children deserve them to play, but we should encourage every parent to try. Many of our most pressing societal ills -- poverty, crime, violence -- can be addressed by providing fathers with the tools they need to rear healthy, well-adjusted children.

No political victory I have ever achieved matches the joy I feel tucking Nick and Beau in at night. Cameras and campaigns cannot match the daily feeling of accomplishment in helping them fulfill their God-given potential.

Dads have a responsibility to offer a lot more to their kids than a cameo appearance and a box of diapers.

My Father's Day wish is that more of our sons and daughters can know the love of a father and be given every chance to grow into mature, responsible and caring adults.