It as been released that the federal government spends $99.8 billion dollars every year on programs – such as child support enforcement and anti-poverty efforts – to support father-absent homes.  This is a conservative estimate; it does not include federal benefit programs for communities, indirect costs related to poor outcomes of children from father-absent homes, and long-term costs in reduced tax income from low-earning single-parent families.

Other videos from the National Fatherhood Association include subjects on Father Absence, Government reducing father absence, and more.

Managing Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm is proud to stand behind our motto of Fathers, Families and Fairness.  If you or someone you know is in need of family law assistance contact us today to see how we can help.

“We know quite a lot about how important fathers are in general for a child’s development. Over the last decade, for example, that it’s mainly mother that interacts with children and that’s how they develop, and that’s the important bit, that’s changed. We know fathers are important,” Richard Fletcher, the leader of the Fathers and Families Research Program at the University of Newcastle in Australia, told ABC News.

The percentage of fathers who live seperately from their children has doubled in the past 50 years, but dads also tend to spend more than twice the amount of time with their children than they did in the 1960′s, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

Australian researchers watched film of 30 dads while they roughhoused with their children, usually through a game where the child would try to remove a sock from their father’s foot, to see what effect it might have on children.

“Rough and tumble play between fathers and their young children is part of their development, shaping their children’s brain so that their children develop the ability to manage emotions and thinking and physical action altogether,” said Fletcher. “This is a key developmental stage for children in that preschool area between the ages of about two and a half and five. That’s when children learn to put all those things together.”

Although boys were more likely to encourage the start of roughhousing with their dads, researchers did not see a significant difference between boys and girls once the play started. But for the kids, it’s not just play.

“When you look at fathers and their young children playing, you can see that for the child, it’s not just a game. They obviously enjoy it and they’re giggling, we know that’s true, but when you watch the video, you can see that child is concentrating really hard … I think the excitement is related to the achievement that’s involved,” Fletcher told ABC News. “It’s not about a spoiled child not wanting to lose, I think that child is really striving for the achievement of succeeding.”

The researchers believe that the most important aspect of this play is that it gives children a sense of achievement when they ‘defeat’ a more powerful adult, building their self-confidence and concentration. However, fathers who resist their children, can also teach them the life lesson that, in life, you don’t always win. The act of a stronger adult holding back that strength also helps to build trust between father and child.

These kinds of lessons can be crucial in child developmental stages as they begin to build their outlook on the world. “We think it has implications for children’s resilience. So, if parents want their children to grow up and not get into drugs and not get into trouble, if they want them to do well academically, than this is probably a good thing to do,” said Fletcher. “We did find a correlation so that the dad’s whose play was much better coordinated according to our measures, those children had less problems.”

Fletcher admits that more research needs to be done, but he is hopeful that his team will eventually be able to help fathers know how to best interact with their child in their formative periods to ensure them a successful future. “It’s a new area, but we’re excited about the possibilities,” said Fletcher.

Orlando Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm realize the importance of the role a father plays in the development of his children.  If you are a father and a family law matter is keeping you from you children contact us today.

“Think of this ‘idea’ of getting divorced, this ‘option’ of getting divorced like a virus, because it spreads more or less the same way,” University of California, San Diego professor James Fowler told “Good Morning America.”

“When one person experiences divorce, it gives the people around them information about what that’s like,” he said.

According to new research done by Fowler, along with professors Nicholas Christakis and Rose McDermott, being friends with someone who gets divorced makes someone 147 percent more likely to get divorced themselves. A person who has a sibling who gets divorced is 22 percent more likely to also split from his spouse, the researchers say.

Fowler said someone does not necessarily have to get divorced himself to change the way divorce is viewed in a social group.

“You might have a friend, for example, who gets divorced, and that changes your mind about whether or not this is an appropriate option. And then you go and talk to a different friend about whether or not they should get divorced. And so one person’s divorce can travel through the network even though the person in the middle isn’t really affected,” Fowler said.

Dan Trimble told Good Morning America his experience with the divorce bug.

“The 32 years we were married, for the most part, were very good years.  We had a lot of memories. I was active duty Air Force. We were traveling all over the world.”

In the final years of his marriage, Trimble said, he and his wife had begun to grow apart. Trimble says at the time he did not realize that he and his wife were developing separate interests.

It wasn’t until their daughter went through a divorce and came out happier on the other side that Trimble’s now ex-wife asked for a divorce.  Trimble said that while he does believe his wife decided to divorce him because of his daughter’s example, he does not blame his daughter.

Instead, he said, he compares their relationship to an immune system.

“If your immune system is up to full speed, and you’re good and healthy, you’re eating right, you’re sleeping right, you’re getting exercise … you can be subjected to people who have colds and flu,” he said. “But if your immune system is run down, and you get up against somebody who’s got a cold or maybe has the onset of the flu, you’re a pretty good suspect for coming down with it.

“I kind of think in my own particular situation, my marriage was a lot like that,” he said. “The best way I can describe it is as a disease.”

ABC goes on to list some suggestions for how to not let a divorce in your inner affect your marriage.

If you find that divorce is your only option, whatever the reason, Orland lawyer Jeffrey Feulner is here to help.  Contact the Men’s Divorce Law Firm today to learn how we can assist you with your family law needs.

Roland Warren of the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) sat down with CNN to discuss the issue of absent fathers in today’s society.  He connects the lack of a fatherly presence to a number of social issue statics for young adults such as crime, low academic performance, and poverty.  While he explains that public awareness of the problem is important the real deciding factor comes down to fathers making the decision to spend time with their kids.

The National Fatherhood Initiative is not the only one talking about this key issue for today’s youth.  The Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services talks about the importance of a father’s presence to a child’s development as well.  They reference the NFI with an appendix of ten tips to becoming a better father with specific emphasis on time together.  How a father spends his time tells his children what’s important to him. Treasuring your children often means sacrificing other things, but kids grow up quickly. Missed opportunities are lost forever!  Also making the top-ten list were other ways to be involved such as eating dinner with your children or reading to them.  See the full list here.

The National Fatherhood Initiative offers a number of other resources to enhance a man’s skills to become an active father.  These include work family balance, father-child activities, and tips for being a great father.

Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm agree that an active fatherly presence is central to the development and growth of a healthy and happy child.  It is our goal to assist men in becoming happier and more stable fathers for their children.  Contact us today to learn more about how our services help fathers.

National Fatherhood Inititative’s mission is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible, and committed fathers.  They strive to ensure a brighter future for America’s youth.  By equipping and educating fathers, they’re working on an issue that is at the core of our nation’s well-being. 

Check out the resources from NFI’s “Tech Savvy Daddy” campaign here, which will be updated with more information/tips every week this month.

Last week, their focus was on “Mobile Connections,” or using text messaging to connect with teens. A recent Pew Research Study found that 75% of teens have a cell phone. Most of them have text messaging capability, and boy do they use it! 54% of teens texted their friends daily in 2010 (skyrocketing from only 38% who texted daily in 2008!). One out of three send more than 100 text messages daily!

For those of you who are fathers of teenagers, you probably feel like their thumbs are glued to their phone. But, as NFI’s Dad Email last week pointed out, if texting is teenagers’ primary means of communicating, why not speak their language? We put together a list of text messages that dads can send their teens to encourage them and build their relationship.

Try sending one or two of the following text messages to your teen this week:

• Hey, just wanted to let you know I love you
• What are you up to this weekend?  I’d love to hang out with you – maybe we can shoot some hoops at the school on Saturday.
• Let’s grab some ice cream after dinner tonight – you game for that?
• I’m so proud that you’re my son/daughter.
• Good luck on your test today.  You’re doing a great job in school this year – I’m really proud of you.
• How’s your day going?  I love you!
• Hang in there, I know it’s been a busy week.  You’re doing great!
• You looked really nice this morning.  I’m a really lucky dad to have a beautiful daughter like you.
• Great job at your soccer game yesterday.  I had fun watching you on the field!

The point we got out of this is, dads: it’s simple. Your kids don’t need something incredibly profound from you. They just want to know that you’re thinking about them, that you love them, and that you want to spend time with them. (As busy as your teenagers are, they actually do want to spend time with you, too.)

One text I got back from a teen whose dad is not very involved hit on a much deeper issue. What would be meaningful for this teenager would be “for him to realize what he has put me through and to want to change that.” Clearly, there are years of hurt that need to be undone in this relationship and a couple text messages aren’t going to do much, but I think a little effort on the part of this dad to move closer to his child would do a lot.

Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm wholeheartedly believe in devoting your time to your children and making a daily effort to show them how much you love, support and appreciate them.  As NFI would say, “A little investment in your teen’s life will go a long way. Even if it’s as simple as a text message to say ‘I love you.’”

In the past, Fathers were considered to be the primary breadwinners; the parent who was often absent due to work and not involved in the everyday details of their children’s lives.  “The Evolution of Dad” film reflects on this past idea of, “society perpetuating that the distant, productive, bring home the bacon father is the only way to really love your children.”  Nowadays, children also turn to Fathers to bandage their scrapes, cook their meals, read them bedtime stories and offer hugs and kisses when they’re feeling down.

Dana H. Glaster is a stay-at-home dad who cares for his two sons while his wife, Deborah, goes to work each day.  While going against the expectations of society and what a father should be, Dana expresses to the New York Times that he “felt like a failure, and I felt alone, and yes, I’ll admit it, I often felt like less than a man.”   Dana grabbed hold of the opportunity to enlighten and make the world aware of the changing roles of fathers in his documentary, “The Evolution of Dad.” 

In “The Evolution of Dad,” Glaster outlines a cornucopia of different situations wherein the father/child relationship challenges older stereotypes and shares why being a father in today’s world is so wonderfully unique. 

The Evolution of Dad – Official Movie Trailer:

To purchase your copy of “The Evolution of Dad,” please visit the official site by clicking here.

The Men’s Divorce Law Firm is proud to represent Husbands and Fathers in their fight for fairness and equality concerning their parental rights. 

Fathers, Families, Fairness.

With the below tips, you can ensure that you are effectively helping your child and complimenting what he is learning in school.

The Right Place:
Be sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework away from the distractions of television or other noisy activities.

The Right Tools:
Be sure your child has paper, pencils, and any other materials needed to complete the homework assignments.

The Right Attitude:
Be positive and encouraging about homework, and be positive about the value of hard work and doing well in school – it will help shape your child’s future!

The Right Plan:
Help your child be proactive in planning to do homework. This includes the child having a role in setting aside a specific time each day for homework–ideally as soon as is reasonably possible after coming home from school.

The Right Approach:
Cooperate with our child’s teacher. When the teacher gives directions for homework, follow those directions.

- When your child asks for help, provide guidance regarding how to achieve the required result–don’t give away the actual answers or complete the task for yourself.

- Homework can be a great way for children to learn to develop independence and lifelong learning skills. If the homework assignment is meant to be done by your child alone, respect the teacher’s instruction and “stay away.”

- Be proactive in communicating with your child’s teacher about how your child is handling homework assignments.

The right rewards: Recognize your child’s homework-related progress and encourage your child in specific ways (e.g., small gifts, treats, stickers, “stars” on a chart, a favorite activity) to reward and reinforce the positive effort.

With just a little time and effort, you can make sure your children conquer their homework!

[ Atricle By | Fatherhood.org ]