Father-custody: outcomes in children of divorce

Hello Tom (I presume),

Your inquiry, re: Father-custody - outcomes in children of divorce

Thanks for your phone call.

I am not commenting here in a specifically constructive manner, as far as the topic of interest to you is concerned. All I am doing here is to copy-and-paste a few of many relevant references listed or otherwise shown at http://fathersforlife.org. To be more specific would require many hours, even days of work. Sorry, but I cannot do that for you. I only have the time to point you into the general direction for the right information. (However, I am giving you a few items of general advice.)

You can find these and many other related references by using the search input field at the upper right-hand corner of virtually every web page at http://fathersforlife.org. The search string to enter is:

outcome children father-custody

Here goes:

• The case for Father-Custody
  By Daniel Amneus, Ph.D.
  The Case for Father-Custody is a well-researched and valuable source of information and statistics relating to fatherlessness. The book is accessible as a an easily navigable PDF file at Fathering Magazine

[The end notes in that book are an excellent source for citations relating to what you need for your case. The book itself contains many excellent quotes (see end notes for citations) that will provide you with exactly what you are looking for. Although the book is a bit dated, the information it contains is still true. –WHS]

• The following is a collections of links to more articles and study reports that focus on father absence or fatherlessness.

• Effects on children of removing a father from the life of a child., Center for Children’s Justice

• The Consequences of Fatherlessness — The [US] National Center for Fathering

• Effects of Fatherlessness on Children – Social Consequences.
  Statement of Bill Wood and Jay Gell, Children’s Legal Foundation, Charlotte, North Carolina

• National Review: Fatherlessness: The Root Cause: The link between crime and fatherlessness is astonishing, By Dave Kopel, Independence Institute

• Turning the Corner on Father Absence in Black America, A Statement from the Morehouse Conference on African-American Fathers; Washington, June 16,1999

• Fatherlessness is the greatest social problem in Canada, Canadian Children’s Rights Council

• THE FACTS ON FATHERLESSNESS, Prepared for the Fatherhood Foundation by Bill Muehlenberg, Australian Family Association - August 2002

• Transforming the Culture of Fatherlessness, by Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Acton President

• Boston Globe: The black rebellion against fatherlessness, By Eugene F. Rivers III | July 9, 2006

• Townhall.com: Fatherlessness A Problem for Kids, Not Mothers, By Maggie Gallagher
  Tuesday, June 12, 2001

  That is a fairly weighty collection of facts and opinions regarding fatherlessness. It is important to note that even the U.K. lately joined the choir singing praise of fatherhood, sort of, but nevertheless welcome after more than eight years of continuous slander, vilification and demonization of fathers. Here it is, the first pro-father commentary after about ten years in an official party organ in the U.K.:

thisislondon.co.uk: Married parents are best, admits Blairite think tank

That is all nice and good, although it is obvious that the U.K. is a late-comer in the debate on fatherlessness and may need a while longer to catch on to what is going on in that department.

It seems that Maggie Gallagher deserves the last word on what we should be after.

In the early ’80s, Becky Peck was one of a new generation of women experimenting with what optimists dub alternative family forms. She chose to use an anonymous sperm donor to create a deliberately fatherless household. Just her and her cuddly babies. Sixteen years later, she tracked down the DNA provider, David Ross. After making sure her motives were not financial (i.e. meeting his kids wouldn’t cost him any money), David was thrilled. Instant family — no diapers to change, no college to pay for. What’s not to love?

But why would a woman who chose anonymous sperm donation suddenly decide at that late date to attach a face and a name to the DNA? The kids, of course. In spite of all the love a mother could provide, they still longed for Daddy. Becky never planned on that. Too many women still don’t.

The actress Calista Flockhart, Miss Ally McBeal, adopted a baby. She recently confessed to the New York Post, “I want more children. I guess it would be nice to have a husband, too, and if you know where I might find the right one, let me know. But meanwhile, the baby is all I really want.”

Maybe so. But what does her baby want, or what will he want a year from now? Children’s hearts will keep fracturing until more mothers, especially privileged mothers, recognize that giving their baby everything he needs includes giving him a loving father. That’s the old, stubborn idea of marriage, the place where a man and woman pledge themselves in love, not only to each other, but to their future children.

As President Bush said so bravely and truthfully, “a child’s greatest source of security today is not only knowing ‘my mom loves me’ and ‘my dad loves me,’ but also that Mom and Dad love each other. If we are serious about renewing fatherhood, we must be serious about renewing marriage.”

But wait a minute, that means that what the children need comes first, and that mutual love between the two parents, marriage for life, that is, will be a necessary social obligation for parents! Exactly!!

Children’s hearts will keep fracturing until more mothers, especially privileged mothers, recognize that giving their baby everything he needs includes giving him a loving father.

Those quotes are from the Fatherlessness — Main Page at Fathers for Life.

There is more:

• UN survey on what ails the world’s children — The state of …

  Father custody children were higher in all outcomes (academic achievement and adjustment) than those in mother custody families”

The following google-search will provide more specific returns for the whole Internet (159 entries on the search-return list)

Using a search term that fits what you are specifically looking for reduces that to three entries on the search return list:

The search string: “better outcomes” children “father-custody” “when conflict”

The search returns:

[PDF]
The Future of Children

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML better outcomes. The average for each group of children ….. mother or father custody is. inherently better for children, … www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/vol4no1ART9.pdf - Similar pages - Note this

JSTOR: Life-Span Adjustment of Children to Their Parents’ Divorce

When conflict between parents is marked, frequent con- tact with the ….. On a few outcomes, children were better off in father-custody households. … links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1054-8289(199421)4%3A1%3C143%3ALAOCTT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W - Similar pages - Note this

[PDF]

Managing the impact of separation and divorce on children …

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
children’s adjustment improves when conflict declines after divorce (Kitzmann & Emery, …… Advantages of father custody and contact for the psychological …
auseinet.flinders.edu.au/files/resources/auseinet/divorce.pdf - Similar pages - Note this

You sounded as if you are pressed for time, but it also seems that you feel that by presenting facts in your favour you can influence the outcome of your custody hearing in your favour. Being pressed for time is real, but the assumption that you will be able to influence the outcome of a custody hearing is largely an illusion. On average, custody decisions are in about nine out of ten cases in favour of the woman. Facts have little, and endemic anti-male bias of the courts everything, to do with that.

I strongly recommend that you read the following book:

Taken Into Custody: The War Against Fathers, Marriage, and the Family

More and purchase information for “Taken Into Custody” at http://www.stephenbaskerville.net/

There is an important thing that you should consider doing. Get in touch with a local fathers rights organization. Here is a directory that you can use to find such an organization near you.

All the best,

Walter Schneider
http://fathersforlife.org

This entry was posted on April 24, 2008 at 11:02 am and is filed under Divorce, Men's Issues, Child-Custody Awards, Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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