A self-censored chronicle of family court dramas, lived by parents who lost all or some visitation with or custody of a child or children based on perjury and/or other false courtroom evidence
For decades, Fathers' Rights Groups have tried politics to address the rights of fathers, while not teaching them how to solve their current problems, like not seeing their children. Joint Custody came about to the extent it has more due to favorable court rulings, by informed fathers
Whether a man is dealing with a divorce or paternity case, it is very important to learn his rights, and responsibilities. Further, what steps a father should take to avoid going bankrupt paying legal fees on top of child support that are out of line with the ability to survive financially. The sections below will provide you with indexed links designed to teach you everything you need in dealing with Family Law issues.
In all the turmoil that surrounds the problems of separating, or separated parents, often the needs and desires of the children become lost. As much as possible, the children should not become a part of what is happening between the parents. They already have enough challenges ahead of them, even if they do not know it. Click here for a video preview of the chapter.
All Children Deserve Two Parents Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears has noted, children born to unmarried women and to those in cohabiting relationships "must often overcome increased risks of poverty, education failure, child abuse, delinquency, emotional distress and mental illness....the lack of a father's guidance in children's lives is a major cause of their suffering. "Marriage is the best child welfare, crime prevention, anti-poverty program we have".
Circle of Life Telling a teen that their life will not end by waiting until they are mature for making adult choices.
Divorce NonTraditional Families, & Its Consequences For Children
Fatherless America "Ominously, the most reliable predictor of crime is neither poverty nor race but growing up fatherless." Fortune Magazine
Father Factor in Poverty ~Children in father-absent homes are almost four times more
likely to be poor. In 2011, 12 percent of children in married-couple families
were living in poverty, compared to 44 percent of children in mother-only
families.
Source: U.S.
Census Bureau, Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2011,
Table C8. WashingtonD.C.: 2011. In 2008, American poverty rates were 13.2% for the whole
population and 19% for children, compared to 28.7% for female-headed
households. Source: Edin, K. & Kissane R. J. (2010). Poverty
and the American family: a decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family,
72, 460-479.
Father Factor in Emotional and Behavioral Problems ~Data from three waves of the Fragile Families Study (N=
2,111) was used to examine the prevalence and effects of mothers’ relationship
changes between birth and age 3 on their children’s well being. Children born
to single mothers show higher levels of aggressive behavior than children born
to married mothers. Living in a single-mother household is equivalent to
experiencing 5.25 partnership transitions.
Source: Osborne, C., & McLanahan, S. (2007). Partnership
instability and child well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1065-1083
A sample of 4,027 resident fathers and children from the
Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey was used to investigate the
effects of a biological father’s multipartner fertility (having at least one
child with more than one mother) on adolescent health. Resident fathers
engaging in multipartner fertility were older, more likely to be White, and had
lower education levels and income, compared to fathers with one partner.
Results indicated children’s externalizing behaviors were negatively affected
directly and indirectly when their biological father had children with multiple
partners. Source: Bronte-Tinkew, J., Horowitz, A., & Scott, M. E.
(2009). Fathering with multiple partners: Links to children’s well-being in
early childhood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 608–631.
Father Factor in Maternal and Child Health ~ Infant mortality rates are 1.8 times higher for infants of
unmarried mothers than for married mothers.
Source: Matthews, T.J., Sally C. Curtin, and Marian F.
MacDorman. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 1998 Period Linked Birth/Infant
Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 48, No. 12. Hyattsville, MD: NationalCenter for Health Statistics, 2000. High-quality interaction by any type of father predicts
better infant health. Source: Carr, D. & Springer, K. W. (2010). Advances in
families and health research in the 21st century. Journal of Marriage and
Family, 72, 743-761. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and maternal and child health
Father Factor in Incarceration ~
Even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent
households still had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in
mother-father families. Youths who never had a father in the household
experienced the highest odds.
Source: Harper, Cynthia C. and Sara S. McLanahan. “Father
Absence and Youth Incarceration.” Journal of Research on Adolescence 14
(September 2004): 369-397. A 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates
revealed that 39% of jail inmates lived in mother-only households. Approximately
forty-six percent of jail inmates in 2002 had a previously incarcerated family
member. One-fifth experienced a father in prison or jail. Source: James, Doris J. Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002.
(NCJ 201932). Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, Department of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, July 2004. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and incarceration
Father Factor in Crime ~ A study of 109 juvenile offenders indicated that family
structure significantly predicts delinquency.
Source: Bush, Connee, Ronald L. Mullis, and Ann K. Mullis.
“Differences in Empathy Between Offender and Nonoffender Youth.” Journal of
Youth and Adolescence 29 (August 2000): 467-478. A study of low-income minority adolescents aged 10-14 years
found that higher social encounters and frequent communication with nonresident
biological fathers decreased adolescent delinquency. Source: Coley, R. L., & Medeiros, B. L. (2007).
Reciprocal longitudinal relations between nonresident father involvement and
adolescent delinquency. Child Development, 78, 132–147. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and crime
Father Factor in Teen Pregnancy & Sexual Activity ~
Being raised by a single mother raises the risk of teen
pregnancy, marrying with less than a high school degree, and forming a marriage
where both partners have less than a high school degree. Source: Teachman, Jay D. “The Childhood Living Arrangements
of Children and the Characteristics of Their Marriages.” Journal of Family
Issues 25 (January 2004): 86-111. Separation or frequent changes increase a woman’s risk of
early menarche, sexual activity and pregnancy. Women whose parents separated
between birth and six years old experienced twice the risk of early
menstruation, more than four times the risk of early sexual intercourse, and
two and a half times higher risk of early pregnancy when compared to women in
intact families. The longer a woman lived with both parents, the lower her risk
of early reproductive development. Women who experienced three or more changes
in her family environment exhibited similar risks but were five times more
likely to have an early pregnancy. Source: Quinlan, Robert J. “Father absence, parental care,
and female reproductive development.” Evolution and Human Behavior 24 (November
2003): 376-390. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and teen pregnancy.
Father Factor in Child Abuse ~
A study using data from the Fragile Families and Child
Wellbeing Study revealed that in many cases the absence of a biological father
contributes to increased risk of child maltreatment. The results suggest that
Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies have some justification in viewing the
presence of a social father as increasing children’s risk of abuse and neglect.
It is believed that in families with a non-biological (social) father figure,
there is a higher risk of abuse and neglect to children, despite the social
father living in the household or only dating the mother. Source: “CPS Involvement in Families with Social Fathers.”
Fragile Families Research Brief No.46. Princeton,
NJ and New York,
NY: Bendheim-ThomasCenter for Research on Child Wellbeing
and SocialIndicatorsSurveyCenter, 2010. In a study examining father-related factors predicting
maternal physical child abuse risk, researchers conducted interviews with
mothers of 3-year-old children. The results revealed that mothers who were
married to fathers were at lower risk for maternal physical child abuse.
Moreover, it was found that higher educational attainment and positive father
involvement with their children were significant predictors of lower maternal
physical child abuse risk. Source: Guterman, N.B., Yookyong, L., Lee, S. J., Waldfogel,
J., & Rathouz, P. J. (2009). Fathers and maternal risk for physical child
abuse. Child Maltreatment, 14, 277-290. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and child abuse and neglect.
Father Factor in Drug and Alcohol Abuse ~
Even after controlling for community context, there is
significantly more drug use among children who do not live with their mother
and father. Source: Hoffmann, John P. “The Community Context of Family
Structure and Adolescent Drug Use.” Journal of Marriage and Family 64 (May
2002): 314-330. In a study of 6,500 children from the ADDHEALTH database,
father closeness was negatively correlated with the number of a child’s friends
who smoke, drink, and smoke marijuana. Closeness was also correlated with a
child’s use of alcohol, cigarettes, and hard drugs and was connected to family
structure. Intact families ranked higher on father closeness than single-parent
families. Source: National Fatherhood Initiative. “Family Structure,
Father Closeness, & Drug Abuse.” Gaithersburg,
MD: National Fatherhood
Initiative, 2004: 20-22. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and drug abuse.
Father Factor in Childhood Obesity ~
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found that obese
children are more likely to live in father-absent homes than are non-obese
children. Source: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. In a study using a sample of 2,537 boys and 2,446 girls,
researchers investigated the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) status
at ages 4 to 5 years and mothers’ and fathers’ parenting involvement and
parenting styles. The results showed that only fathers’ parenting behaviors and
styles were associated with increased risks of child overweight and obesity.
Mothers’ parenting behaviors and styles were not associated with a higher
likelihood of children being in a higher BMI category. In the case of fathers,
however, higher father control scores were correlated with lower chances of the
child being in a higher BMI category. Moreover, children of fathers with
permissive and disengaged parenting styles had higher odds of being in a higher
BMI category. Source: Wake, M., Nicholson, J.M., Hardy, P., & Smith,
K. (2007). Preschooler obesity and parenting styles of mothers and fathers:
Australian national population study, Pediatrics, 12, 1520-1527. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and childhood obesity.
Father Factor in Education ~
Father involvement in schools is associated with the higher
likelihood of a student getting mostly A's. This was true for fathers in
biological parent families, for stepfathers, and for fathers heading
single-parent families.
Source: Nord, Christine Winquist, and Jerry West. Fathers’
and Mothers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools by Family Type and
Resident Status. (NCES 2001-032). Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Education, NationalCenter for Education
Statistics, 2001. A study assessing 4,109 two-parent families examined the
effects of early maternal and paternal depression on child expressive language
at age 24 months and the role that parent-to-child reading may play in child’s
language development. The results revealed that for mothers and fathers,
depressive symptoms were negatively associated with parent-to-child reading.
Only for fathers, however, was earlier depression associated with later reading
to child and related child expressive vocabulary development. The less the
fathers read to their infants, the worse their toddler scored on a standard
measure of expressive vocabulary at age two. Parents’ depression has more
impact on how often fathers read to their child compared to mothers, which in
turn influences the child’s language development. Source: Paulson, J.F., Keefe, H.A., & Leiferman, J. A.
(2009). Early parental depression and child language development. Journal of
Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 254–262. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and education.
“Honestly, based on the dealings I’ve had so far, I dislike
the other attorneys more than the opposing spouse! Why do attorneys have to
make everything so personal?”
The guy who said that practices family law in Florida, and I couldn’t
agree more.
You’ve had the same experience. The opposing counsel is
making you miserable. You are not alone.
My friend in Florida
asked, “How do you deal with attorneys like that?”
I’ll attempt to answer. However, I’ll warn you now that
there isn’t a secret formula for these situations. There isn’t a perfect
solution for dealing with these difficult humans.
When I’m dealing with one of these lawyers, I assume that
we’re in for the long haul. These folks typically drag out every element of the
case.
How to Never Let Your Clients (Or Opposing Counsel) See You
Sweat
Here’s my advice:
1. Accept it. Accept that they are who they are and that you
can’t change that reality.
Parents all over America are losing their rights and don't even know it.
Featuring 3 reenactments based on real cases, "Overruled" is a shocking 35-minute docudrama that exposes how the rights of parents in America are being eroded and what you can do to turn the tide.
Removing Parents from Public Schools It is no accident, no coincidence. And it’s not just your imagination. There really is a steady trend by the government and the courts to remove the influence of parents from the public schools.
We are witnessing the rise of a statist mindset that actually believes that “expert” agents of the state can make better decisions for your child than you can.
The Sad Reality of Racial Disparity in Child Welfare We recently released a video to reveal the disturbing reality in child welfare: that children of color are taken from their homes at a higher rate than other children, and on average they are kept in the system longer than others as well. This disparity, which multiple government studies attribute to racial bias, violates parental rights and is damaging to the African American community.
Entering a New Era in Congress ParentalRights.org is entering a new era – an era of broader cooperation, wider reach, and bipartisan support. It is also an era of greater awareness for parental rights issues fueled by scholars and experts who contribute to the conversation, as well as by parents being awakened due to state-level threats to their freedoms.
Please check back for updates, or sign up for our newsletter and we will keep you posted as we enter this new era!
We here at Fathers Supporting Fathers of Florida are here to
support and help guide fathers through the hard times associated with fathers
rights and to help make changes in the laws of Florida to help get more rights
to fathers. We truly believe in EQUAL PARENTING. Every child deserves the right
to have a father and every father deserves the right to be just as involved in
their child’s life as the mother does. We are here to see the best interest of
the child and their rights.
Parental alienation occurs when a parent consciously or unconsciously attempts to brainwash, or otherwise influence a child’s memories, perceptions, feelings, and relationship toward the other parent in a negative, unhealthy, selfish, or destructive way.
And this kind of behavior is repulsive enough.
But one of the most extreme, and increasingly popular forms of parental alienation arising in custody cases today involves the false allegations sexual or physical abuse against a child in divorce action.
And there is a reason for this: it’s a fast and easy way to get your parenting rights terminated and create unhealthy separation between you and your children during a divorce, even as court-ordered child-support keeps flowing.
Of Course, this is why within professional circles, false allegations of sexual abuse in a divorce action are commonly referred to as :The Nuclear Option.
Because with one simple, fraudulent allegation, your divorce opponent can not only inflict massive damage to your relationship with your children, but can completely destroy your life as well.
Please help by making a small donation to the Legal Representation Fund of Zoraya and David Inguanzo. An alienated parent and child desperately trying to maintain a meaningful relationship despite unjust court intervention and vexatious and malicious family law litigation by opposing party. 10300 Sunset Drive, Miami, Florida 33173 - 305.270.7796 C/O +Stand Up For Zoraya https://plus.google.com/117921689297670485165/
Recently, I have found myself thinking a lot about the best, and the worst, custodyarrangements for very young children. When I say very young children, I am thinking about infants (aged newborn to roughly 18 months) as well as toddlers (aged 18 months to about 3 years).
Below, I will offer some of my own thoughts about this very important, and it seems, increasingly controversial topic. But at the outset, I want to invite readers to share their experiences about what is working for you, and what isn't; about what custody arrangements you have chosen for your own very young children, and about what schedules were imposed on you by a court, an ex, whoever.
I am looking for your input, because I have been hearing more and more from parents who are very unhappy about parenting plans for their very young children. Mostly, I have been getting emails or telephone calls from parents, usually mothers, who are scared to death that their very young child has been divided - and is being damaged both now and in the long term. I also have heard from other parents, mainly fathers, who are afraid they are being shut out of their very young children's lives - now and for the long run.
There are a lot of complicated psychological, practical, and legal issues involved in custody arrangements for very young children. I will not delve very deeply into the details in this post, or I will end up going on for too long. Look for future posts with more specifics.
Psychologically, the quality of attachment relationships is the main concern about the well-being of very young children. Children form a close bond with those who care for them, usually their parents, in the first year of life (and beyond). The development of attachments is a biologically driven process, one that is observed in other primates, other mammals, and precocial birds. (Think of ducklings swimming in line behind their mother on a pond in springtime.)
Very young children can and do form multiple attachments, including to mothers, fathers, grandparents, nannies, and so on. Still, children have a primary attachment figure, the person they prefer to offer them comfort in times of anxiety or pain. (A daycare worker can comfort a distraught toddler when no parent is available, but given a choice, an 18 month old will run to Mommy - or Daddy.)
Now we are getting to the nub of one controversy. A great deal of psychological research shows that the quality of the primary attachment - particularly whether it is secure or insecure - in very young children predicts the development of various psychological and social problems in the future. (Importantly, attachment is a central concern not only for custody but for other issues like day care, families where both parents are employed for long hours, hospitalized premature infants, incarcerated parents, and a variety of other issues involving parents' relationships with their very young children.)
So in disputed custody cases, parents, lawyers, and various experts can and do end up debating whether a very young child's primary attachment (usually to the mother) is all-important and pretty fragile - or whether their secondary attachment (usually to the father) is just as important and perhaps is being undermined, maybe deliberately, by a doting or vindictive primary attachment figure. Specific questions and debates range from whether babies, or toddlers, should have overnights with their secondary attachment figures to whether parents should share joint physical custody of infants, alternating back and forth every day if necessary.