Help for dads (or moms) fighting for equal parenting

[billiechic]

I've recently come across a great group that is advocating for equal parenting. You should check it out, at least watch the video..warning though, it had me in tears..don't watch at work!

Injustice In Motion

[canadamama]

That is clearly a website for dads, not moms... and none of the claims made in that video are cited or sourced at all. I am not saying they are untrue, just that if you are going to make a video that is full of statistical claims, it is important to give people the information they need to a) check for themselves, and b) learn more.

[Mess]

It took less than 30 seconds for me to find articles that cite the source materials for those statistics. The video is meant to be emotional and rhetorical. If anyone wanted a) check for themselves and b) learn more, they could very easily. Start here and here.

[canadamama]

This is how it's done:
Statistics on Fatherless Children in America

My point was that the onus is on the person making the claims to provide the source, rather than making the reader go hunting.

[blinkandimgone]

I think you've missed the point of this thread entirely.

[billiechic]

Obviously! The point is that this is a good group fighting for Equal Parenting. The video is meant to inspire parents (dads AND moms) to make sure BOTH parents are in their child's life.

No wonder we need groups like this...sad...

[Pharah]

No kidding.

[canadamama]

OK wait a sec. All I said was that a) the site was clearly for dads and not for moms, and b) the video was putting forth a lot of stats that were not backed up. I said clearly that I wasn't saying they were untrue, but they were being used to support a position that was clearly much more about Dads than about equal parenting.
I would wager that the website in question would offer more support to a single father raising kids with an absent mom than it would to a single mother in the absence of the father. I also bet it would offer more support to a dad trying to get access to his kids than to a mom in the same boat. In my view, that is actually FINE, because the website is called Not All Dads Are Deadbeats - it is clearly a site for DADS. As a mom, I would never go there for support, however much I supported equal parenting. I would hardly expect to be met with sympathy if I went there with problems in trying to get a disinterested father to pay attention to his kids, or trying to get a dad to contribute financially to their care and upbringing (which is a significant part of parenting).

[billm]

Seems reasonable to not go to that website for support given that you are a mom. However, to state that you would not be given sympathy because you are a mom on that site is argumentative at best, and an insult to men at worst.

I believe that most people can be unbiased with respect to advice with separation and kids regardless of their gender or yours.

[blinkandimgone]

Although one may not go there to get support, even if you believe strongly in it, there is much to be said for those who go there with the sole purpose of giving support. If more people did, it would certainly help tip the scales in the right direction.

It's not always about what you can get for yourself, many find the best way to get what you need is by giving what you can.