Recognize your responsibility ... as a father AND mother
Obama made a speech on Father's Day emphasizing the need for fathers to take an active role in their children's lives. I applaud him for his speech. Many people need to hear that message ... many "people" ... I say people because it's not just fathers who need to recognize this - Mothers need to be just as active in that role and ALLOWING fathers to act in that capacity.
An example that hits home for me, Gellar has a son (9) who was born of terrible circumstances (the woman is a crazy nut who lied and purposely got pregnant to try and make him marry her). Given the circumstances, you think that he would walk away. He tries to be involved in his son's life, tries to keep in contact with him and tries to visit with him, but she doesn't let him because of her anger. She prevents visits. She witholds information. She feeds crap into the kid's head (on our last visit, he said, "I don't know why my mom doesn't want you to be my dad" - I'm sure many of you know the kinds of things I'm talking about). The kid is now her weapon. She constantly breaks the custody documents and the court will do nothing. Oh, but if we ever missed one child support payment or we didn't have health insurance for him, our asses would be on the line in a heartbeat. The court works in favor of the dead-beat dad who will run away - but what about the ones who are not, who try and get stone-walled?
It hurts. Thank you for the message Obama, but for some of us, that message is an all-to-familiar reminder of those dads who try so hard and will never win.
An example that hits home for me, Gellar has a son (9) who was born of terrible circumstances (the woman is a crazy nut who lied and purposely got pregnant to try and make him marry her). Given the circumstances, you think that he would walk away. He tries to be involved in his son's life, tries to keep in contact with him and tries to visit with him, but she doesn't let him because of her anger. She prevents visits. She witholds information. She feeds crap into the kid's head (on our last visit, he said, "I don't know why my mom doesn't want you to be my dad" - I'm sure many of you know the kinds of things I'm talking about). The kid is now her weapon. She constantly breaks the custody documents and the court will do nothing. Oh, but if we ever missed one child support payment or we didn't have health insurance for him, our asses would be on the line in a heartbeat. The court works in favor of the dead-beat dad who will run away - but what about the ones who are not, who try and get stone-walled?
It hurts. Thank you for the message Obama, but for some of us, that message is an all-to-familiar reminder of those dads who try so hard and will never win.