No one gave you an owner’s manual when your children were born, much less when you got divorced. Friends and relatives will give you ideas regarding tough situations with your children. There are also community organizations, churches and social agencies that can help with support and ‘father coaching.’ off without me. Response: What! I can’t believe you thought this and that I even typed it. Children need fathers as well as mothers in their lives. Some men even make better fathers after a divorce than during the marriage because their parental attention gets focused. ◆ Myth No. 4: There are a lot of things I don’t know about being a single father. My own parents were never divorced. I will probably make some life-scarring decisions while parenting my kids. Response: Join the club. I’ve been there, too. No one gave you an owner’s manual when your children were born, much less when you got divorced. Friends and relatives will give you ideas regarding tough situations with your children. There are also community organizations, churches and social agencies that can help with support and “father coaching.” Now, having read this, don’t believe that I blindly support conjoint parenting arrangements. Children require safety first in their lives and if a parent, male or female, is risky business concerning violence, abuse or neglect, then I would hope that the court would appropriately weigh this regarding custody. The ideal is always for both parents to be involved in their child’s life, but this is sometimes not realistic. Trip Woodard is a licensed family and marriage therapist and a clinical member of the N.C. Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Contact him at 6068607.
WNCMOM.COM, THE PLACE WHERE LOCAL MOMS CONNECT
53