[Cupid]

The government's Green Paper on relationship breakdown rejects shared parenting, arguing the rights of the child should come first. Do you agree?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/0...nt/3913065.stm

[Penny]

Its important for children to see both their mother and father regularly, but as for equal access, I'm assuming they are meaning, week - about or something like that. That doesn't always work in every case. Most cases, it seems the best solution is for weekend visits etc.

Thats what we did, and that was what worked best. It would have been too unsetteling to do week-about.

[lookingforthesane]

Yes both partenst need to have equal access to the child(ren) as long as it is in the best inertested of the child(ren).

I would like to point out that these days the idea of a family unit is no longer a mother, father and 2.5 children. There are plenty of case now with same sex couples having children and I do not think our system is very well geared on this front.

[Penny]

There are also lots of situations of kids that live with their mother, but the children from the same family can have different fathers, and then theres mixed families... I must say I think it must all get very very very messy!

[Sparklechick]

It should be considered on a case by case basis.

It would be heartbreaking to see some fathers lose access to their children due to the law. My brother can't look after his two girls because of the type of job he has but he always has them when he's supposed to and times when their mothers asks him to look after them for various reasons. Our family (usually my Mum) always has the girls in the holidays because their mother doesn't want to look after them full-time in the holidays (she has another baby to another man) so it would be pretty bad to see my brother lose the right to have as much contact as possible with his girls.

[kall]

Yep, the rights of the child should definitely be the first concern.

CYPFA should also have a severe re-think of its rules and regulations surrounding Evaluations.

[busyness53]

equal rights, both parents have equal or should have equal rights to visit thier child, but what if the child doesnt want to know dad? or mum? what if the parents doesnt want to?

[CASPERTHEGHOST]

AS A FATHER I THINK WE FATHERS SHOULD HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AND ACESS AS THE MOTHERS BUT OF CAUSE ONE OF THE PARENTS WILL SUFFER IF IT ONLY GOES ONE WAY AND THEN THERE IS THE CHILDREN TO CONSIDER AS WELL IT DEPENDS ON HOW OLD THEY TO CHOOSE WHO THEY WANT TO BE WITH IT IS UNFORTUNEATLY IT WELL BE THE CHILDREN WHO WILL HURT IN THE END NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AS IT HAS BEEN SAID THE CHILDREN SHOULD BE FIRST BUT IT DOSEN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY

[Cinque]

Well since the UK government continues to bleat on about parenting yet doesn't really do anything to help in real terms I think that it's only wise for children, in the event of a relationship breakdown, to be placed into institutionalised care where they will be educated as good citizens after the prerequisite 20 years in the military.

This would be beneficial to all - no problems with under staffing in the armed forces, a steady supply of good little citizens, and no more parenting problems.

What about the parents? Well, to ensure that they've thought long and hard about their decisions (pre and post natal) any parent in a break up will be required to drink hemlock (upon positive DNA testing of the little darlings obviously).

A vote for me, is a vote for the future.