According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 33 percent of children across the country reside in a home without a father. That amounts to nearly one in three American kids who do not live with their dad. The trend of excluding fathers has been growing since the 1960’s and many feel that it is time for a change.
Friday, a group of single fathers rallied outside the Lake County Courthouse hoping to raise awareness of parental rights in an event organized by Illinois for Parental Equality. Their goal is to promote reform in family courts in order to grant fathers greater access to their children following death, divorce or separation.
Our own Attorney Ronald L Bell, who has practiced law for over 30 years, believes that recent trends favor shared parenting time. He feels that a newer and younger pool of judges tend to be open to both fathers and mothers spending time with their children. In an interview with the Lake County Sun Times related to the event, Ron stated further that he “doesn’t see the bias one way or another anymore”, and feels that the courts are more flexible when it comes to visitation plans.
Evolving attitudes are a win-win for Illinois families. Since kids tend to do better over a lifetime when dads are present, children will benefit from this more open-minded approach. Dads, who are hoping to spend more time with their children, now have reason to hope.
Read Ron’s comments in the full article, “Divorced Fathers Rally for Greater Custody Rights”. If you have questions or concerns regarding child custody, visitation or other family law issues, contact the Law Offices of Ronald L. Bell for help today.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Divorced Fathers Rally for Greater Custody Rights”, by Megan Jones, June 17, 2016.