Civic Engagement

I am totally in agreement on this issue!

The system fails father in every way possible! Its time to make a change and allow children the right to have both parents in their lives and time to adjust child support to coincide realistically with this as well!

I am in totally agreement with this. Massachusettes courts don't look at both parents in a divorce with children they always just give them to the mother. My husband had a child from his first marrage and his ex-wife will use going to daddy's as a treat. She has said on many occasions that if she doesn't behave she wont go to daddy's this weekend. We only get her everyother weekend for 2 days and it's not enough. We now have a 5 month old and she hardley ever gets to see her brother cause her mom wont allow it. I hope Deval comes up wiyth a bill so both parents get equal time with a child of divorce. Just because the parents cant live together doesn't mean the child has to suffer and miss out on seeing one parent.

Shared parenting is the best option for children in cases of divorce

Agree 100%. This is an issue affecting too many children. There are too many fathers that are denied many aspects of being a Dad. Children need to have both parents involved in their lives.

Hello,

I totally agree with you. It is very sad to see fathers experiencing these issues, but it is even worse to see how children are also getting affected.

Thank you for your support!!!

Kenya

It is not fair but, it happens to Mothers too! Especially if the man is manipulative and has a lawyer & you don't! I have to stare into My Daughter's tear-filled eyes as she is TAKEN from me every week by her monster of a father and I can do nothing about it because he ( temporarily, because I will prevail)has all the power and he uses it to lord power over me & could really care less about what is best for My Daughter. A little girl needs her Mother in her Life, not a weekly visit with Me, the " second-class" parent. If this is not" Cruel & Unusual Punishment", I don't know what is!

Children are far better off with shared parenting: Children from fatherless homes account for;

63% of youth suicides.

(US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Census)

71% of pregnant teenagers.

(US Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Adolescents from lone-parent families engage in greater and earlier sexual activity. (Carol W. Metzler, et al. The Social Context for Risky Sexual Behaviour Among Adolescents, Journal of Behavioural Medicine 17, 1994) 90% of all homeless and runaway children.

(US Dept. of Health and Human Services)

70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions.

(US Dept. of Justice, Special Report Sept. 1988), (Review 2001/2002: Building on Success, Youth Justice Board, London: The Stationery Office (July 2002).) Children aged 11 to 16 years are 25% more likely to have offended in the last year if they lived in lone-parent families.

(Youth Survey 2001: Research Study Conducted for the Youth Justice Board (January–March 2001), ...

Please email me at Hallbergjustice@yahoo.com It is the only way I can think of likeminded people being able to network to advocate these issues since the Governor has yet to take note of it, comment on it, or feature it, inspite of it being the leading issue on his website for the last several weeks. Wasn't that the intent of this site. i.e. bring the issues to him and to provide a forum in which to organize? Please contact me and reference shared parenting in the subject so we can continue to advance this cause.

I support shared parenting 100%. It would be a wonderful thing to see my children more often. Trying to plan anything and having to ask permission so we can include the kids is crazy. As someone else on this site said "It takes two to make them why not let two FIT parents raise them!"

100% in favor. The current laws in MA do not encourage or promote paternal bonds with children, they only fracture them.

Too many kids go with out their fathers, due to the court system.

'Takes two to make them, the State should allow two to raise them.'

Why do we keep away fathers that WANT to raise their kids??

My children were taken from a loving father who dedicated his life and all he has for his children. The children's mother is holding them hostage only because the children represent her paycheck! Now the children have NO PARENT!

Yes, I strongly agree. I think that this situation is rude and selfish of the mothers. I would never let my kids be apart from their dad. I love my dad and couldn't imagine what life would be like with a mom who wouldn't let you visit your own dad. It doesn't seem fair to the dad to me, I feel bad for little kids who can't celebrate Father's Day without their parents arguing. I not only feel bad for all of the dads out there that can't hang out with their children, but also the kids who can't hang out with their dad.

Fathers matter in the lives of their children. They should be responsible as parents, and therefore should also have rights as parents. MA voters supported shared parenting on a non-binding referendum with 90+% of the vote. It is time for things to change in this area!

these votes should count for Shared Parenting - same issue

It is time for the state to stand up for the rights of children to have equal access to BOTH parents.

Another no-brainer! Of course the only reason to oppose this idea is one motivated by money, either on the part of a divorce attorney, a greedy custodial parent, or court system motivated to funnel money from other government agencies. All of these put their own greed and corruption before the best interests of our children.

For. My husband's ex exploits the system to gain higher child support $ and to limit his access to his child. She should be the one suffering, not him or the child. All of this causes pain to the children, and is just not right. Using children as pawns to hurt your exes should be punishable. Also, custodial mothers know that with joint custody comes a drop in child support, so they often create conflict simply to make certain that they continue to receive the support money.

My 2 sons and I want 50/50 custody. My ex-wife knows it; the kids therapist has confirmed it. She exploits the system to deny our children their father and to deny me our children.

YES! The Probate and Family Courts should not have the incentive to collect child support. The divorce industry is causing a social epidemic upon society. Men and women that are being forced to divorce, thanks to intrusive works of the Department of Social Services, and other agencies, all operating with their own agenda's, utilize Federal Funding to break up families. This process is not only debilitating to the people that are directly involved, i.e. the mother and father, but the children as well. Chief Justice Sean Dunphy recently published SHARED PARENTING literature, but the COURTS DO NOT GO FAR ENOUGH!!!! While their are classes that are mandated for parents, the concept of SHARED PARENTING, and A SHARED PARENTING PLAN, should be better promoted. If, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a body politic, and it is a pact between each other, our government must do better to promote the people at being constructive, not destructive....Our government derives its consent from ...

I am in favor of Shared Parenting

I would like to know who is paying the legislators to ignore this issue and the media, which defiantly refuses to report on it. Did anyone catch the Globe article on this site? It referred to 11 of the top 12 issues on this site. Guess which one was not mentioned? SHARED PARENTING. Hmmmm.

I fully support Shared Parenting. How is this not in the best interest of the child? Kids deserve to have their Dads in their lives.

SHARED PARENTING IS A NO BRAIN MOVE BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT FATHERLESS AMERICA HOW CHILDREN OF FATHERLESS FAMILIES OFTEN END UP INTO CRIME MORE THAN ANY OTHER . THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS LETS THE MOTHER HAVE CUSTODY EVEN IF THE FATHER WAS THE MAIN PERSON IN THERE CHILDS LIFE AS I WAS. AND THEN THE COURTS LETS THE MOTHER MOVE THREE THOUSAND (3,0000)MILES AWAY . YOU HEAR OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT THE COURT IS LOOKING FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD, THAT IS SO FAR FROM THE TRUTH!!! SOMEONE NEEDS TO STEP IN AND MAKE THIS THE LAW SO SOME BIAS JUDGE OR GUARDIAN AD LIDEM (GAL) CANNOT DESTROY ANYMORE CHILDRENS LIVES!

I am totally in favor of ahared parenting.Too long has the father been denigated into a mere provider of means and lesser of the most important part:that of providing fatherly love,companionship,supervision,raising of his familty on equal terms with the mother.Familiy is MOTHER and FATHER as much as can be done. JMN

The courts are guilty of destroying the family unit.They (judges) are more concerned with their tenured position with respect to pensions, retirement,etc. They should look up the word "divorce" in Webster's dictionary; a complete legal breaking up of a marriage!! What right do these people have to tell a parent when they can see their child? How many children have suffered due to the callous actions of a family court judge? Granted, there may be parents out there that should be carefully scrutinized with respect to being in their child's life,but this is in the minority. Children need both parents. Each parent needs to have a role in the child's growth.

Research shows that father involvement in the lives of children makes a positive difference from the very first year on. I know my own children would not be as well adjusted as they are if it were not for both parents input.

I am in favor of this issue. Children suffer because they suffer consequences of the system that is run by money

Father involvement with their children, from day 1 and ongoing, makes a positive difference in their lives and also reduces long-term negative outcomes for the children and even our communities. One parent cannot replace the other or be both. 85% of mothers getting sole custody here in MA also means 85% of fathers are reduced to visitor status and the kids lose out. I'm a Grandmother and have seen the results of this in a number of homes. Please support House Bill 1460 as proposed by Fathers and Families and help children be with Both parents. Thank You.