Do single dads have more time for their kids?

[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.

 

[Michael]

If a dad wants to spend time with his kids, he will find a way, no matter what. Picking them up from school, taking them to school and just driving around doing errands can become quality time if you just think about making the drive special.

 

[Timothy]

I don't think a single father would have more time to spend with his kids as a single person than if he were in a relationship. If the father is married to the mother, both parents split responsibilities - equally in ideal situations - but when the father has no spouse, he must do everything himself. In low income households, this means spending MORE time at work, just to pay the bills. So unless we're talking about a man who's independently wealthy and employs a cook and a maid, there's just no way, lol.

 

[meowcow]

I think it depends a lot more on the personality of the person, really, rather than the position he holds in life. Like some of the other posters have said, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are, a dedicated father will find time for his child.

Being a single parent brings many factors that are both advantageous and disadvantageous, like everything else. It can cause the father to have less time to play and guide his son or daughter because he has to work twice as hard, but at the same time make the times that they do have together a little bit more special and can be spent on simple things like fixing the house together or doing chores together. It is always up to the parent to set the tone in the relationship and the family structure.

 

[Lieutenant]

I don't totally agree with that. There are other factors such as the father's job and other things. A single father has to bring in more income to support his children which will require him to work more. As others have said that if a father wants to spend time with his kids he will, regardless of being single or not is true. I am not a single father but I often work 80-100 hours a week in a stressful job but I always make sure I'm there to tuck them in at night and talk to them in the morning. My days off are entirely devoted to my family. When I retire and my kids are grown then it'll be time for the wife and I to do other things.

 

[JenVarsity]

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?

Honestly, it depends on the characteristics of the father. What they want to do or feel they need to do.

As a mom, I have a list of things that need to be done during the day; I'd imagne a single father has to accomplish the same tasks. It's not easy to get everything done in a day if you are a stay at home parent or a full time parent.

My fiance spent more time with his young son AFTER I met him because I demanded it. It was easier to take him knowing his partner wanted him then worrying about what I would think. I laid it out for him, if those pictures on the wall were of his son (looked to be about 4) he needed to be in the house with us part time because I would not have a child in the family that wasn't "in" the family. (Turned out his son was really 9...)

My girlfriend and her boyfriend have his son more too now that she is in the picture. He feels better equipped to handle the child with the extra support. He grew up with only his mother, so he was terrified to be a single father.

On the other hand, we have a friend who has fought tooth and nail in court to get his daughter. She is his world. He spends every waking moment with her and spoils her rotten. Finding a partner, while he admits it would be nice, is the farthest thing from his mind. He would prefer to come home and build a trusting relationship with the one girl who will, hopefully, never break his heart.

Speaking for the system, single father's are under a lot of direct and heavy fire from government organizations to be doing the right thing. Programs, work, school, it all takes time away from the child. The support order reviews and meeting with case workers take up a good portion of time...not to mention the million phone calls some dads have to make each day to fight to keep their children.

 

[collin]

... more time with the kids?

I think that being a single dad usually, at least for most poeple, will find you with LESS time for your children... unfortunately. At least that what's I've experienced With all the extra running around you have to do to shop, take the kids wherever they need to go, make appointments by yourself etc...I think because often you wind up doing the work of two single dads often have less quality time with their kids. Maybe I'm missing something here, but that's just the way it was for me 20 years ago. Maybe things are better for single dads nowadays? I didn't experience that.

 

[encryptedbytes]

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?

If you're spending the time with your kids that you should, this should not be an issue at all. if relationships are taking priority over your children and cutting to the time you spend with them, then you need to reevaluate your priorities. Your children are your first priority, above all else.

 

[Victor Leigh]

Definitely. I am a single father now and I have a lot of quality time with my son. If I still have a wife, I would probably be out with the guys instead of spending time with my son.

 

[joeldgreat]

I don't think its not the issue of "more time". It would be more appropriate to say which single parent had "quality time" with his/her kids. I've got a co-worker who is raising his two kids alone and do not have "more time" spending with them every day simply because he needs to work harder (overtime) every day just to meet his family needs. But every Sunday, he said, he never missed a single minute with his two kids. He would not even accept office calls during this day. Simply creating more "quality time" to his kids is I think more important than simply having "more time".

 

[themdno]

It makes perfect sense to me. If you're not in a relationship, that cuts down the amount of time that you normally would spend with your significant other. Being single, by definition, means you have more time, unless you completely neglected your wife of attention.

Add that to the fact that if you work and your wife doesn't, you have to work that much harder to support another mouth, plus spend time with her after you get off work. Being single means you don't need to earn as much money, and you don't have to spend as much time with your woman.

I think there is no other way of looking at. Yes, single Father's absolutely have more time to spend with their kids.