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I am noticing that on this forum as well as some others on C-D and elsewhere, there is the recurring use of the term "deadbeat dad."
What exactly is a deadbeat dad? Do you really think that all these fathers out here don't want to take care of their children? Or are there other factors?
I am noticing that on this forum as well as some others on C-D and elsewhere, there is the recurring use of the term "deadbeat dad."
What exactly is a deadbeat dad? Do you really think that all these fathers out here don't want to take care of their children? Or are there other factors?
The term implies a dad who simply makes a choice not to participate in raising his child, financially or otherwise.
The term implies a dad who simply makes a choice not to participate in raising his child, financially or otherwise.
Agreed. My nephew's father is a complete deadbeat and only interested in his son as a way to hurt the boy's mother. He's a total loser, and I kind of want to punch him in the face sometimes.
"Deadbeat dad" is a specific subset of single dad. Not all single dads are deadbeats, no. Most are not. And yes, it's regrettable that there is no "deadbeat mom" label, because they exist too.
The term implies a dad who simply makes a choice not to participate in raising his child, financially or otherwise.
Are there really a lot of fathers who are that way? I know they exist, but as the father of three, I find it hard to believe that there is a preponderance of men who are like that.
I'm not sure what you mean by "all these fathers." I heard a recent statistic that around half of all babies born now are born out of wedlock. That leaves a lot of possibilities for dads to leave, if they were ever there to begin with.
I don't know how their conscious allows them to leave, and not send money for their children. Maybe some want to but don't feel like they make enough money. That's easier to say when the child isn't living under your roof, looking to you for food and clothing.
My only experience with this is through my aunt and cousins. They are grown now, but when my aunt and uncle divorced, he didn't keep up on his support payments. Now that he's on Social Security, part of it is kept by the federal govt and sent to my aunt. I have an acquaintance, through this same side of the family, who hasn't held a job in years because he'd have to pay child support if he did.
I'm sure there are several factors, but the bottom line is, they aren't paying their way.
dead beat dad applies to men who father a child, and yes...like steelstress wrote....they want nothing to do with the child, or any responsibilities that come with it....I disagree with you JustJulia, as I don't think being a single dad has ANYTHING to do with the words dead beat....those words are for dead beats (women or men)...it's just that it's used to describe men more often, as they unfortunately seem to have the most "dead beats" amoung them.
I think perhaps we should change the term to dead beat parents, because i have met plenty of women who are not shining examples of motherhood as well. Simply put it a dead beat parent is one who puts their interests before their kids, spends little to no time with them, and often does not help out financially.
Are there really a lot of fathers who are that way? I know they exist, but as the father of three, I find it hard to believe that there is a preponderance of men who are like that.
I agree Lucario...it's not something unusual though...sad as that is.
I am noticing that on this forum as well as some others on C-D and elsewhere, there is the recurring use of the term "deadbeat dad."
What exactly is a deadbeat dad? Do you really think that all these fathers out here don't want to take care of their children? Or are there other factors?
There are always other factors in every situation. Some fathers are not aware they have children, others actually pay the child support and want to be part of their children's lives but the Mother makes sure that does not happen, others are perhaps incarcerated and have no choice simply for that reason, others are unemployed for whatever reason and do not have the resources to pay, then there are those that simply do not pay even if they do have the resources.
I'm not saying any of it is right or wrong I am just stating situations that "could" be a contributing factor that I am aware of personally.
Last edited by CSD610; 02-28-2012 at 09:02 AM..
Reason: Had to fix a word that was not spelled correctly.
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