[Albert]

I've heard there was a general preconception regarding the fact that single fathers have more time on their hands. I've talked to people who actually said that a friend of mine must have plenty of time to spend with his children because he's a single father.

Do you really think that not being involved in a relationship implies that you and your children can spend more time together?

[KevinD]

That sounds kind of silly to me. I think when you have the mother and you're both chipping in, that you would have more free time with the kids. This just seems like common sense to me. It's not like you would be with the mother of the children taking away from time with the children. You'd all be together.

[Paranoid]

I think it depends. I know some single fathers have more time for the kids in that they aren't in a relationship and have less time they need to dedicate to a partner. Still, having another person to co-parent with makes things easier and gives the kids more time with one of the parents, even if it's not the father.

[Verny]

Every family have their own way of having family time. I know a friend who is a single father but have so little time for his kid because he needs to do his job at day and to take care of the home duties at night.

[Ralphie]

I think that it's quite possible that a single parent is kind of forced into making more time for their kids than they otherwise might, because the whole parenting load falls on them.

[LeonR]

Sometimes a dad becomes single from circumstances beyond his control. My friend lost his wife and became a single dad of three quite by surprise. He ended up being mother and father to those children and devoted to them, not because he had more time on his hands, but because he wanted to make every second count for something.

[Jacob]

First of all, single dads do all boring and house chores by themselves, which alone takes away most of the day, especially if kids are very small. Think about it.

[polamalu43]

I agree with most people here - I think they have less time. For starters they are probably sharing custody so the children are going to the moms. They are also working a lot to be afford to pay for everything (1 income). They also have to clean, and do all household chores.

[Babar]

Yes, I think that unless a dad had to work an extremely demanding job to support his kids, it's only natural that he'd have more free time to spend with his brood. Being a single father, by default, means a man is responsible for all of the everyday interactions that ensure his children are cared for. Not having a wife in the mix means there is one less person vying for Dad's attention.

[Bobby]

Being a single parent is not easy. You are basically forced into spending more time with your kids than if you were married because you have the whole responsibility resting on your shoulders. I think the same is true for single mothers though too.