After all, children need two full-time parents, not one. Nevertheless, sometimes the differences between parents are so great that the only solution seems to be divorce. Maybe if divorcing parents realized the impact the absence of a father has on kids they'd opt for joint custody. Instead, animosity between parents, and the confrontational atmosphere created by lawyers, often turns what could be an opportunity into a battle in which mothers are automatically the heavy favorites. So it should come as no surprise that the courts award custody to the mother a staggering 90 percent of the time, sometimes even after the father has proven that he is the better choice for custodial parent.
Custody can be a potent weapon in the hands of a vindictive ex-spouse.
Often, as a way of getting back at the father, custodial mothers will deny visitation. The only recourse many fathers have is to go to court to try to get visitation enforced. But lawyers aren't cheap, and most fathers can't afford to go to court every time their visitation rights are violated. But that doesn't mean we should castigate all divorced dads for the misdeeds of very, very few. It's time we started giving non-custodial dads their due, and treat them more as parents than simply as sources of income.