Men's Rights Agency ~ News & Views
Father's Day: A heartfelt appeal
Graham Dyer, one of MRA's supporters in Queensland had a letter published in the Gold Cold Coast Bulletin on Saturday 6/9/97 and a shortened version in the Brisbane Sunday Mail, 7/9/97.
Graham's timely letter, the day before Father's Day, points to the desperate loneliness of fathers who are denied contact with their children. The feelings of sadness and loss experienced by these fathers naturally becomes heightened and more poignant on this special day.
Likewise for their children - remember the joy of loving is not just in the receiving, but in being able to return that love. Their distress in not being able to write a letter or telephone their Dad, let alone spend the day with him, must be immense, especially when they see their friends freely celebrating and showing their appreciation of the essential role their fathers play in their lives.
Here's Graham's letter as published in the Gold Coast Bulletin:
Think about lonely dads
Spare a thought tomorrow, sunday, for the thousands of dads around the country who will spend Father's Day desperately sad, lonely and frustrated.
Not though any fault of their own or their children, but simply because their babies have been taken away from them by the Family Court.
Some of these fathers will hit the bottle. Some will take anti-depressants. Some will just sit in their room and cry.
Most will put on a brave face and get on with life, appearing tough on the outside, but falling apart on the inside.
Some may commit suicide. Father's Day is a very bad day for male suicides.
Anguish, pain and heartache for their cherished flesh and blood is just too much to bear. Some days memories are just too overwhelming to endure.
There is a mountain of evidence to show that two parents are better than one. In fact, two parents are essential.Yet the Family court clings to its standard approach that kids should 'reside' with one parent (usually the mother) and just have contact with the other.
The Family Court even allows mothers to take their children thousands of kilometres away from their father.
What makes it worse is the Family court says this is in "the best interests of the children".
The movie Mrs Doubtfire was, unfortunately, in some respects a comedy. Viewers might think that what the judge in that movie said and did to Daniel Hillier (Robin Williams) was an aberration, just a part of the comedy.
It was not.
What happened in that movie was exactly what happens to fathers every day.
But not all ex-wives see the light and put the kids first, restoring the children's relationship with their father.
Graham Dyer, Southport
1997 © Copyright MRA Pty Ltd
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