New Research Indicates that Divorce Benefits the Father-Child Relationship
New research indicates that divorced men actually become better caregivers. As a result of men becoming single parents after divorce, they are finding that it makes them better fathers in part because they are taking control and responsibility for situations that they might have otherwise delegated their partner or waiting to be told what to do. As a result, more and more men are advocating for themselves and therefore becoming better advocates for the children; all while making room to become better fathers; which is feeding back into changing custodial norms. In general, as divorced parents are taking a more informed and research-based approach to co-parenting; while no longer distracted by marital conflict; they are parenting with a lot more focus. Part of this could also be explained by divorce simply making many people happier individuals and therefore happier parents in the long run. “Executive Parenting Tasks” This also means that divorced dads are taking on what the researchers term “executive parenting tasks,” such as planning activities and meals, and no longer delegating nurturing roles to their partners, therefore getting more and more practice emotionally connecting with their kids. They provide the comfort; sing lullabies; and do everything else that a caretaker parent does; while getting more practice and therefore more adept at it. By making more and more decisions, they are growing in self-confidence and are better able to meet their children’s needs. Marital Conflict Is The Problem As a result, more and more scientists are arguing that the adverse effects of divorce have simply been overstated, as the differences between children of divorce and children with married parents are fairly slight. These researchers say that, instead, marital conflict is the problem and therefore divorce can actually be the solution. The research indicates that children who spend regular time with their fathers-i.e. Overnights, time splits, etc.–perform better academically and have more confidence. In general, they appear to be less susceptible to problems, in general, throughout lives. In other words, these children are just as well-adjusted as those whose parents do not get divorced. Time To Take This Into Court This research is incredibly important because, although states and custody laws are changing and advocating for more 50-50 split instead of reinforcing underlying stereotypes concerning male and female caregivers, still, some perfectly capable fathers are denied equal time; suggesting that some are unfairly treated in courts; where they are not seriously taken as caretakers. In reality, divorce gives many dads opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have when it comes to parenting, and can also often make both mothers and fathers better parents because they have more downtime to recharge due to shared parenting setups. In the same way that we as a society are trying to get away from stereotypes the boys are biologically predisposed to outperforming girls when comes to certain academic subjects such as math and science, we have to get away from the messaging that men are second grade parents. Conversely, decades of research indicate that many kids of divorce wish that they had spent more time with their dads growing up. If you live in Florida and have any questions about divorce and custody, contact our experienced Sarasota divorce attorneys at HD Law Partners today to find out how we can help. Posted in Divorce | No Comments » Connect with us Archives May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 January 2025 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 November 13 Categories Alimony Appellate Arbitration Auto Accidents Auto Insurance Business Corporate Business Insurance Law Child Custody Child Support Criminal Law Divorce Family Law FEMA Insurance Payments Florida’s Mandatory 2‑Hour Legal Professionalism CLE: Foreclosure Defense Fort Myers Hurricane Insurance Attorney General Guardianship HD Law Partners Service HOA/Property Management Homeowners Association Homeowners Insurance Hurricane Claims Hurricane Insurance Insurance Bad Faith Insurance Claims Insurance Defense Insurance Litigation Landlord Tenant Law Enforcement Liability Loan Modifications Mold Water Damage Parental Rights Paternity Personal Injury Premises Liability Law Prenuptial Agreements Private Security Property Distribution Property Owner Law Sarasota Insurance Litigation Attorney Slip Fall Tampa Business and Corporate Attorneys tampa family attorney Tampa Insurance Attorneys Timeshare Timesharing Uncategorized HD Law Partners is proud to be your trusted full-service law firm Quick Links Property & Casualty Business & Corporate Litigation Family Law Contact Us Careers Get In Touch 2002 North Lois Avenue Suite 510 Tampa, FL 33607 813-253-5333 Contact Us