Not Second Class Dads 4 – Aug 21, 2025:

Welcome to the next installment of Not Second-Class Dads.ca. My name is Scott Taylor.
The title of today’s episode is Clash of Egos.

Just had a conversation today with a father, whose parenting time has been very limited for
some time. He tells me he wants more parenting time. In fact, he wants shared parenting
time, which is a minimum of 40%. In fact, as current parenting time is also supervised. As
in most situations, where a father is looking to increase his parenting time. They run the
common thread.

What is that thread? Namely, it’s a hostile and unfriendly relationship with the children’s
mother. In such situations, most fathers believe to be successful to achieve the parenting
time they wished to have with their children all they need to do is to prove that they were a
better parent than the mother. And, to show this involves constant criticism of the mother
for a variety of alleged flaws and deficiencies in parenting the children.

In my many years of family law, that approach is completely wrong. And will not result, or
very likely, result in any positive changes to any fathers parenting time.

Why is that? You must keep in mind, as difficult as it might be. It is not a debate as to who is
the better parent. Rather, the only question is what’s in the best interests of the children?
And the greater the hostility between parents is a recipe for continued frustration. No court,
if it ends up in court, wants to place a child or any children between two parents who can
only criticize each other, a hostile environment that no court wants to place children.

What’s a father to do? I recommend that the father and it’s best to have paperwork to
support this, email the mother. and advise the mother.
How much? Undoubtedly the children love the mother and how much the mother loves the
children, but also. That the father loves the children, and wants to be involved in their lives
as much as possible.

But you don’t stop with just saying that and making that statement. You have to step up,
and by stepping up, I mean you offer to help the mother as much as possible. Whether it
means taking them to and from activities, professional appointments, medical, dental
appointments, whether it means parent teacher nights, meeting with parents, meeting with
school counsellors.

In other words, you show by both words and action that you are fully and completely
committed to being responsible, both financially and personally, in helping to raise your
children.

It’s your choice as a father, to either step up or step away. Until next time, this is Scott
Taylor for notsecondclassdads.ca