Should separated fathers not have their children to stay?

Submitted by Mastodon on Thu, 2014-06-19 00:13

Article here. Excerpt:

'There are so many different types of family – from close knit, to extended, even polygamists – and so many different practical and emotional reasons why a family may break up, that it is very difficult to lay down hard rules when it comes to parenting.

So it’s not surprising that many fathers are upset this week after reading that psychologist Penelope Leach thinks no father, whatever the circumstances, should be allowed to host his own child overnight if a marriage breaks down and he has left the family home. Leach is said to have suggested that taking a child away from the mother for even one night before the age of four can damage their emotional development.

But this is a gross over-simplification. We need to have much more insight into why couples are living separately before we judge where a child is safest and happiest. Did the marriage break down through sexual violence or because of a new partner? A woman could be genuinely fearful of her child going to spend the night at the home of his or her father – if he is known to be violent or controlling. And even where this is not the case, some men may not have much confidence and insist on imposing ''tough’’ male values on their children.'

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... be allowed to see their children after they have reached age 12?

"Studies have shown that the tendency of mothers to be clingy and overprotective toward their children as they begin adolescence has a repressive if not smothering effect on the development of necessary skills associated with adulthood, such as a sense of independence, a need to take responsibility for oneself, and so on. But should this tendency in general be enough to deny any given mother the opportunity, if not right, to continue living in the same home as her children?"

Won't see anything like that in any seriousness any time soon, not even here on MANN. But the article cited in the Telegraph? There it is! And while the Telegraph is merely reporting on the ludicrousness of some psychologist's suggestion that a child under age 4 ought not be placed in the care of their own father overnight unless said care is at the child's mother's home, the very fact that such an idea is being taken seriously speaks to how powerful "anti-dadism" is these days.

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Submitted by Matt on Sat, 2014-06-21 00:11