My father was a military man. So July Fourth was always a big deal for my family, filled with pomp and circumstance.

In the morning, my mother, two brothers and I would gather at the parade grounds of the Army post and wait for sight of my dad. He was an Army aviator, and some years he would fly his helicopter as part of the celebration. When I was 6 or 7 and we were living in Germany, where I was born, I remember hearing the chopping sound grow louder as he approached, and then roar as he brought the helicopter down in the middle of the field. I was so proud of my father in his green uniform with all his metals from his many military campaigns. He was handsome, dapper and confident in his officer's dress hat that was embellished with a gold oak leaf design veterans nicknamed "scrambled eggs." My father believed in service, and at a young age, my brothers and I had to memorize and recite to him the "Sears Motto": "Duty to God, duty to country, duty to yourself, through scholarship, good works, dignity and pride."

AP (ENLARGE)

Leah Ward Sears is chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

After the parade, we would often gather with other families around the lake and have a picnic. My mother fried her own chicken and made real potato salad with chopped eggs. It was the best. During those celebrations, I was a carefree child, running around, having fun, protected and surrounded by the love of my family.

This year, the July Fourth holiday reminds me that our country's future depends on the strength of our families. We are a great nation when our families are great. When I look back at all I've achieved and the blessings I've received, I have my family to thank above all else. It is because I grew up in a stable home — with a mother and father who supported, guided and challenged me — that I never doubted I could achieve my dreams. My parents were not perfect people; no parents are. But my parents' presence in our home and in my life was my foundation.

Yet as a judge, I have been reminded daily of what becomes of children who are not as blessed as I was — children whose parents are divorced or who are growing up without fathers or whose mothers fall in and out of relationships, marry and remarry.

For our children's sake, we must recommit ourselves to the institution of marriage. At this time in our history, particularly as women have gained independence and rights, we've become lax in our commitment to this institution.

That's a mistake, because marriage is the most pro-child institution we have. The research is clear. Children born to unmarried mothers, children in single-parent families and children whose parents have divorced suffer disproportionately from emotional and physical illness. They are more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol. They are more likely to engage in violence or suffer it at home. Fractured families lead to fractured communities. Daughters of single parents are more than twice as likely to become single parents themselves, make up more than two-thirds of all teen pregnancies and are nearly twice as likely to divorce.

In the last couple of weeks, the Georgia Supreme Court's Commission on Children, Marriage and Family Law has begun to unveil billboards around the state. I hope you have the opportunity to see them. Their message is simple: "Children do better with parents together."

The day I was sworn in as Georgia's first African-American female superior court judge, my big, strong father held my baby daughter in his arms because, he said, he needed to keep her from acting up. Looking back, I believe he was holding onto her for dear life. As they swore me in, I noticed that tears flowed down his cheeks. Dad died within the next year, so he never got to see me appointed to the Supreme Court. But I like to think that on that day, he got a whiff of what was to come. And I have my parents' commitment to each other, and to me, to thank for that.