The Struggle For Fatherhood In The US

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In the United States, there are many homes where there is or has been a custody battle. Mothers and fathers have gone head to head fighting for their children, while some mothers and fathers could care less whether or not the other parent takes responsibility. Mothers have an advantage of being the first one to bond with their children. They get the opportunity to spend the first nine months with them and have an experience that no father will understand. Fathers bond with their children on an entirely different level. They are their protectors and providers that give them peace of mind from the first time they hold them in their arms. This difference in bonding between mother and father poses a problem for fathers when it comes to custody …show more content…
This is partially at fault due to Roe vs. Wade. Under this amendment to the Constitution, fathers are not legally the father of their own children until they have been born. They have no legal say over their children from conception. This has set fathers’ rights back, even though fathers’ rights have always been an important aspect when it comes to the law (Rosen, 2009). Where this is understandable in some cases, it is also frustrating for the fathers that want to take care of their children and be an important aspect in their lives. It is also important for fathers to have bonding time with their children. From birth, fathers provide children with a sense of protection and allow them to feel safe. This protection is what allows children to bond with their fathers and know they are there for them (Crowley, 2010). Fathers get to spend time with them in other ways than the mother. Where fathers do not have the same bonding experiences the mother does, fathers have experiences later in the children’s life with events such as sports, learning to drive a car, and other extra-curricular activities. With gender norms changing fathers also help with the daily tasks in which are required to take care of the home and children. Fathers are required to take care of daily chores in the household along with the mother. These tasks allow for children to have fathers as caregivers as well as mothers (Crowley, 2010). When fathers are seen as caregivers, it allows for them to be seen as more than just a provider and have a better chance of attaining custody. Fathers should have the privilege of beginning with an unbiased impression, allowing them to seek custody of their children equally (Rosen, 2009). Despite all of the hard work fathers’ rights advocacy groups are putting in there are opposing reasons that fathers should not be considered as a first resort for custody as well. Fathers tend to be