The 'Weekend' Dad

We've all seen it, at McDonald's, at the park, at the cinema maybe.....the weekend dad.

I'll be completely honest, in the past I've judged them. I've seen them sat in McDonalds at 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning, shovelling down a McMuffin or 3 and i've judged them.

We see them as the part-time parent, the person who only cares about their kids 2 days out of 14, the 'useless dad' that abandoned them in the first place.

It's all complete rubbish. Oh yeah I'm sure there are enough 'fathers', men who have achieved the massive task of dispensing their sperm somewhere other than into a Kleenex, but to judge them all in that way is disrespectful and downright rude

Think for a minute about when you were a child. Did you want porridge for breakfast at the weekend or fast food, did you want to go food shopping or to the park...the cinema or doing homework

Maybe, just maybe the reason that the weekend dad takes his kids to these places is because...shock horror...it's where the kids want to go. He doesn't want his kids going back to their mum and telling her what a boring weekend they've had....or worse....not wanting to go to Dad's at all

I remember a friend of mine saying that when his ex partner met a new bloke that his son said to him 'I've got two daddies now'......that's gotta be heartbreaking. But he took the attitude that any dad worth worrying about would take, 'no, you have 1 dad, me. ???? is your mum's boyfriend'

I guess for some people it would be very easy to take the attitude of 'I'm not living with my kids anymore, they're not my problem'. But there are 10 times as many dads that will be crying inside every time they have to drop their kids 'home'. When they won't sleep because they want 'Mummy', when they 'don't love you anymore' because you've abandoned them.

That brings up another problem in itself. How many 'weekend dads' have just separated from their partner, mutually separated. As far as public opinion is concerned i would say that number is pretty close to ZERO. 'he's abandoned his wife and kids' is a line that I'm sure is heard far too often. Often said, but how often is it true

Everyone has an opinion on everyone, we are all nosey to some extent. The very fact you're reading this blog means that you have some bizarre interest in my life and/or what I've got to say. The point to remember is that your opinion, when not asked for, means absolutely jack shit.

If you don't want your kids to do certain things, don't do them, if you don't want them to go to certain places, don't take them. And if you don't want them to behave in a certain way, don't let them. But just because it's not 'your way', that doesn't mean it's the wrong way.

And just because a dad may not be the 'full time' parent. It doesn't mean they're not still a great Dad......

Just try and imagine making the decision that means you'll probably never live with your own children again....then think again before judging