Library Search

Kinship care refers to familial arrangements where the primary caregiver(s) are biological relatives, godparents, or other fictive kin with strong bonds, raising children when the biological parents are unable. The majority of children living in a home with neither of their biological parents’ present are living in kinship care arrangements. Previous research has primarily focused on maternal involvement and experiences in kinship care; however, little is known about paternal access, engagement, and responsibility in these arrangements. Researchers and practitioners have identified factors…

Fathers Are Forever is a must read for all divorced dads who want to remain involved parents. The saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure applies here. Reading Fathers Are Forever means kids keep their fathers. Every father needs to read this book.Fathers Are Forever is a handy, how-to book which draws on actual experiences of men and women seeking to create and sustain co-parenting relationships. The book walks parents through the divorce process from beginning to end. It moves Mom and Dad from adversaries to co-operative parents in spite of the fact that they live in…

Throughout history, the general perception is that it is man's role to interact with the wider world, providing food, protection, performing heroic acts and journeying to redefine borders and expand our geographic horizons. Private, domestic spaces and acts such as childcare have commonly been seen as female. Yet, as women are increasingly entering and remaining in the workplace, there has been a shift in familial power relations, and as a result, men's role as 'fathers' has changed and become marginalized. Societal notions of fathers have evolved from the distant breadwinner through…

The current study examined low-income, unmarried, nonresidential fathers’ engagement in co-parenting with the child's mother. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 71 fathers attending nine different fatherhood programs in five cities that serve low-income, primarily unmarried, nonresidential fathers. The results revealed that co-parenting in this sample of fathers is a multidimensional construct that includes both negative and positive components. Our results also point to specific behaviors or indicators that seem to be unique to this population of fathers and mothers and that…

Current descriptions of coparenting (i.e., shared decision making between parents and the coordination of parenting activities; Feinberg, 2002; McHale & Kuersten-Hogan, 2004) often are not informed by diverse cultural or family contexts, or by the perspectives of fathers. One group that has been notably absent in the coparenting literature is African American fathers. We conducted semistructured, qualitative interviews with 30 African American fathers (28-60 years of age) of a preadolescent, biological son at-risk for depression, aggression, or both. Informed by grounded theory, we…

When parents split up, it's hard on everyone in the family, especially children. This page contains

1) a video where families share their experiences parenting together while living apart, where they discuss how community resources helped them work through conflict and achieve a positive dynamic for their children; and,

2) a co-parenting guide full of information about ways parents who live apart can work together to take care of their children.

(Author abstract modified)