Deadbeat dads always make for salacious news, but they just might be overshadowing the growing trend of non-resident fathers who are making an effort to stay involved in their children’s lives, reports USA Today.
Pennsylvania State University sociologist and demographer Valarie Kong researched changes in father-child contact trends and found that today’s fathers are spending more time with their children than they did 30 years ago. Thanks to changing custody laws, more opportunities to communicate (texting, email) and “changing attitudes” about fatherhood, the amount of fathers having no contact with their children has decreased from 37% in 1976 to 29% in 2002, says Kong’s Penn State colleague, Paul D’Amato.
The 50% of American children who don’t physically live with their father won’t necessarily be fatherless. D’Amato’s research, based on survey reports from 5,200 mothers with children ages 6-12, found that 38% of non-resident dads were “highly involved” in their children’s lives and 8% showed growing contact. The highly involved dads were often those whose children were older at the breakup and were more likely to have been married to the mother.
“I think men are saying ‘Enough is enough. I’m not just here to pay out money. I love my children as much as their mom does and I recognize that I am as important in their lives as their mom is,'” said Karen Stewart, author of divorce book, “Clean Break.”
Read more: Essence.com
Here’s what you had to say:
Jocelyn commented via Facebook: “My hat goes off to all the men who are taking care of their kids and sometimes someone else’s kids.”
Matasha wrote via Facebook: “Come to my town and ask all the single mothers to raise their hands. This type of stuff is exactly why men get away with the things they do now.”
Leave your comment and let us know what you think. Does this study seem true in you own community?
