Divorce Advice for Men | Fathers Rights Divorce | Child Custody

By Katherine A. Elias

Child Custody Evaluator

Question:

I know what’s best for my kids and what is truly going on in their lives so why does the court bring in external parties to decide on custody and the fate of my children after a handful of meetings?

I’m the one who has raised them and been a major part of their life since birth but suddenly someone my kids and I have never met and is completely unfamiliar with our family is going to make recommendations to the court on who the kids should live with?

By Katherine Elias

Child Custody Evaluator

Note: This is the second part of a two-part series on being a single dad. Click here to read Part 1.

Studies show that children of divorce need a father interested in their behavior at school. They need a father, who does not hesitate to discipline and is an authority figure. In other words, it is important that the divorced father fill all the roles of a parent - not limit himself to being the “ATM” or simply as a provider of entertainment and amusement.

By Katherine Elias

Child Custody Evaluator

Note: This is the first part of a two-part series on being a single dad. Click here to read part 2.

For a father, the most painful aspect of the end of a marriage (if it has been initiated by his wife) is the “loss of” the daily contact with the children. In most cases, especially when the children are very young, the mother will be awarded custody and the father becomes a parent that does not live with his children.

For men who were not involved in raising children during the marriage and saw them mostly on weekends, the situation after the divorce would not be so different. In fact, sometimes fathers are with their children more hours after a divorce than previously. It then becomes more important to invest in building or strengthening relationships and preserving the existing relationship with your children.