I’ve launched a new website: FathersWork.com. Its more than a website - it has many resources and tools to help fathers, especially single fathers and divorced dads, be the best parent that they can be. Its not exclusively for fathers though, everyone is welcome!

Its only in beta at the moment, so if you are interested, sign up with your email address.

This article at CNN by Roland C. Warren is spot-on!

• Dads are the ‘Supermen’ students need

He talks about the film, “Waiting for ‘Superman’”, a documentary about America’s public schools, and ties it into the responsibilities of fatherhood.

When I was growing up in a divorced family, I lived with my mother most of the time, but spent a very significant amount of time with my father as well. I can attest that the time and attention he put into helping me with my homework, even personally tutoring me when I hit a hurdle with Calculus in high-school, made a huge difference.

Based on my positive experience, I am definitely going to help my daughter with her homework. If you are a dad and help your child or children with homework, please share some of your ideas and experience here. Thanks!

When I experienced a unilateral divorce as the father of an infant, I was absolutely shocked by the way I was treated. After taking care of my daughter every day and night from her birth until she was nearly one year old, her mother was able to take her out of my care without any reason, and put her into a stranger’s care (an eighteen year old nanny from a foreign country) instead.

I was totally disheartened to learn that I was not alone with my story, and that there are many more outrageous injustices happening every day across our country.

Here are just a few websites of fathers who are crying out for justice by sharing their stories about how their children were taken away without cause:

• http://daddyjustice.com/
• http://www.whyjudgelittle.com/
• http://craigdeanto.homestead.com/FathersLove.html
• http://www.abs-comptech.com/custody.html
• http://www.afathersstory.ca/

Articles about the injustice to fathers in family court custody disputes:

• http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/fathersmatter.php

I’m starting a list of websites run by caring fathers:

• http://www.fatherswork.com/
• http://www.stayatstovedad.com/

The video in this news report didn’t work for me, but the text is interesting. They mention a divorce camp in Vermont that apparently worked well for the family of divorce mentioned in the report.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/WFive/20091106/w5_divorce_091107/

I’ve found these terms helpful in trying to understand the challenges I face as a parent who has had to wage a legal battle to maintain even marginal custody and visitation rights to my daughter.

• Gatekeeper Parent - A parent who obsessively insists on making all decisions regarding their child or children
• Parental Alienation - A form of child abuse where a parent uses their child or children as a weapon to hurt the other parent by denying them visitation or custody
• Hostile Aggressive Parenting - Similar to Parental Alienation, another form child abuse where a parent uses their child or children as a weapon to hurt the other parent, by interfering with their relationship(s) with their child or children, by various means, such as forcing the child or children to change their surname
• Unilateral Divorce - When one parent decides they want a divorce without having any legal basis for doing so

Do you recognize the importance of fathers in families? If not, please read up on the research that proves we are important:

• The Father Factor: Facts of Fatherhood

My sister told me that the Diane Rehm Show had a story about fathers today. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, but I plan to, so I’m bookmarking it here:

• Father Fiction

This site is run by a proud father of a little girl. When my daughter was less than one year old, her mother asked for a divorce and soon began preventing my daughter and I from seeing one another.

This was and still is very troubling to me because I am a very dedicated father. When I was a teenager, I witnessed my own father pass away shortly after his second wife gave birth to a little girl. I missed my father very much, but I felt sad that my half-sister would never know her father. Perhaps that is why I am so thankful that I am able to nurture, teach, and support my daughter as she grows. I am still shocked that it was so easy to prevent me from doing so.

I spent a lot of money for legal advice and assistance and was eventually able to restore my parental rights. This awful experience has led me to believe that the family court system leaves much to be desired. More specifically, based upon my experience and upon stories from other fathers, the family court system is fundamentally biased against father’s and is structured in such a way that there is little to no recourse for any injustices, large or small, committed against families in general.

I’m hopeful that my story and the entries I make on this blog will be of other fathers facing similar challenges, those fighting for father’s rights, and to those researching the topic

Caillou is a great show! My daughter loves it, and so do I. I like it for a couple of reasons:

• Meaningful shows
• Family oriented
• The dad gets a decent billing in the show

For those who are unfamiliar with Caillou, its a cartoon produced by PBS Kids about a little toddler named Caillou and his family.

http://pbskids.org/caillou/