Divorced Dads in the Movies
By Peaches1122
@Peaches1122 (470)
United States
February 11, 2007 7:50pm CST
I just saw Night at the Museum last night and I could help but be struck at how once again a divorced dad was played as a bum. The ex wife has a fabulous new life with a new husband or fiance that has totally taken over the father role for the child. While these situations certainly exist, are there any movies were the divorced dad is played in a positive light? Still successful, taking care of his kids? Thinks about "Mrs.Doubtfire"...the who movie was based on Robin Williams being a bum.
I'm a writer and I couldn't help but think what an interesting movie it would make t have a divorced mom live in a divorced dad's world. Maybe a sci fi type movie where dad's almost always got custody and the women were at the constant mercy of child support through economic downturns, layoffs etc. It would be a real eye opener for the not so nice ex-wives who only see their ex husband as an ATM machine and will hold the kid's hostage from their father just because they are bitter about the divorce.
I'm not saying this to get the struggling divorced mom's in an uproar. This is just for the good ex-husband's out their who work hard to do what is best for their kids but keep getting screwed by the system. Yes...good men do get screwed.
1 person likes this
1 response
@LindaLou (483)
• Canada
12 Feb 07
I totally agree that many men do get screwed by the system. I have dated a lot of single Dad's who are completely devastated by the system in so many ways. First, they get "visitation" with their own kids and lose all rights to having a say in their lives. How is this fair when they have not been proven to be an unfit parent? I believe that unless one parent or the other has been proven to be unfit then custody should automatically be chared 50/50.
I also agree with the statement that many women hold their kids hostage as a means to get more money from the men. I work with a guy who told me that his ex-wife, even though he paid his child support regularly, went ahead and had it garnisheed from his wages anyway, so that he would be unable to qualify for a mortgage. On top of that, she asks him for about $500 extra each month and if he doesn't pay, she makes him wait to get the kids on his visitation days until the exact time specified in the visitation agreement, even though he is done work 2 hours earlier than that. This is just one example of the pettiness I have heard of or witnessed from bitter, divorced mothers. It is sad. I'm not saying that being a single mother is easy or that men should be let off the hook financially in anyway in raising their children, but there are women who take advantage of the system that is most definitely designed against men.
1 person likes this
