Men's Issues - Father's Rights

FATHER’S RIGHTS

Today, an increasing number of children likely will live some portion of their childhood with only one parent. Figures released by the Census Bureau show that the number of single fathers raising children has increased about 25 percent over the past four years. There are now approximately 2.1 million single fathers, up from 1.7 million in 1995. As more and more fathers have expressed an interest in being active parents, the courts too have abandoned traditional biases related to gender in parenting.

Although the common belief is that fathers face a stigma when seeking parental rights of their children, the courts in Colorado have adopted a pro-child agenda and are neither pro-mom nor pro-dad. While some judges tend to view these cases in an old-fashioned view, the fact is, that in Colorado, it is statutorily forbidden to automatically favor mothers as “primary custodians”.

In fact, court determinations of decision-making responsibility and parental rights are based on what is in the “best interests of the child”. The courts have even gone so far as to eliminate controversial terms such as “sole custody” and “visitation” while adopting new phrases such as “parental responsibilities” and “parenting time.”

The modern trend in the courts is to get away from the adversarial nature of litigation in cases involving children, and instead focuses on the issues that will allow both parties to enjoy successful co-parenting. Fathers are increasingly asserting themselves as excellent caretakers of even young children. And, society as a whole is finally beginning to recognize the crucial role of fathers.

In fact, the Colorado Legislature has recently considered amending the custody laws to allow the courts to presume that a 50/50 sharing arrangement between parents is best for most kids. While many believe that this controversial measure goes too far, it is certainly a sign of the growing role of fathers in post-divorce households.

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