These are rough times for the traditional family unit. About half of all marriages end in divorce. Kids are more likely than ever to try drugs or alcohol at an early age. Violence and abuse are part of the everyday life of too many families. Fewer people seem to see the value of having a husband and wife stay together and raise their children.

For fathers, the situation is even more negative. The media depicts fathers as emotionally distant, overly strict, or completely clueless. What is a committed father to do in this environment? How can he make a positive impact on his family, when his contributions are often dismissed by society?

The fact is that no matter what certain segments of society say, fathers have a huge impact on their families. As much influence as media may have on today's children, a loving, involved father pulls even more weight.

How can a dad have the greatest impact on his family? Should he insist on taking his kids out of public school? Should he encourage his wife to stay home and become a full-time homemaker? Should he lead his family to throw out their TV and filter their internet access?

Those might all be good decisions for certain families. But a father can make the greatest impact on his family by doing one thing: being a loving, faithful, supportive husband to his wife. In the stress of raising kids and holding down a job, it's easy to forget that the husband-wife relationship is the foundation of a strong family.

Fathers who are committed to fully loving their wives leave a positive mark on their family in many ways. Here are just a few areas where dads can make a difference:

They lessen the number of disagreements in the family. If mom and dad are united, the kids can't play one against the other. Arguments end much quicker that way.

Wives have richer, fuller lives. Everybody wants to know they are loved and cherished. When your wife knows that, she is freed from seeking affirmation in other ways. She can be the woman she was meant to be.

Kids learn who they really are. Children get so many bad messages about what it means to be a man or woman in this society. Boys learn from their dads what true manhood is about. Girls learn that real beauty isn't found in a fashion magazine. Those are gifts that last for the lifetime of those children.

It isn't easy to commit yourself to loving one person for life. But the value of a husband faithfully loving his wife is immense. It really is the best way a father can build a great family life and a legacy for his children to follow.