Non-Resident Dads

Here at Family Matters, it’s our goal to encourage and equip families for every age and stage of life. For many families this means that they deal with issues surrounding being a single parent.  Recent statistics point to the fact that about 50% of American kids will live away from their fathers at some point during their childhood.  Sometimes this is due to a couple divorcing, sometimes it is because the father was in a non-marriage relationship with the mother that didn’t last.  Regardless, half of US kids have a non-resident dad at some point in their childhood.  We found an article in the USA Today talking about non-resident dads and some of the things that they do to stay involved with their children.  It points to the increase in well being that Dad’s involvement brings to their kids.  This seems common sense because God designed children to have two parents who each have unique and vital roles in their kids’ lives. A non-resident dad taking an active role in their kids’ lives sounds wonderful, but it is fraught with complications and logistical roadblocks.  One of the biggest factors is the child’s mother being willing to cooperate and coexist with their child’s father.  This is easier said then done in most relationships.  So, this raises some questions that we would love to get our readers input on:

1. If you are a non-resident dad, what kind of things do you do to stay involved in your kids’ lives?  What do you do to nurture your relationship with your kids?
2. If you are a single mom, what are you doing to foster your children’s relationship with their father whenever possible?

We recognize that within these complex family structures, a relationship with a non-resident dad is not possible or even recommended, but we hope that these situations are the exception rather than the rule.  We would love for our community to weigh in on this so that we can all help each other with some creative ideas! Please, leave us a comment and give your input.