Friday, February 25, 2011

What is a Dad?

According to The Guardian a United Nations report states that the role of fatherhood is changing and needs to be redefined. Many children are now brought up in extended families, where they live with a stepfather, or a series of stepfathers and obtain their male guidance from various male relatives in the absence of their biological father. The phrase used to describe these men who live apart from their own children and bring up other children is "social fatherhood". This sounds more like "disposable fatherhood" to me.

What about "virtual fatherhood" for those fathers who have an online family or "substitute fatherhood" for those surrogate dads and "absent fatherhood" for sperm donors?

What about those men who would like to have a shared care arrangement with their own children and be a father, without having to have the mother's permission when to see their children? Are we still to call them "non resident fathers" ?

I feel the focus is wrong....

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The problem with the legal system for fathers is that it is biased to the mother. It should be seen from the beginning as a 50/50 arrangement of residence and negotiate from that position. To often the mother uses the children as a financial issue when the dad just wants contact without hassle. Children are more complete individuals with their fathers help, advice and support and will become better adults than those without!