Father's Day-Divorce Lawyer Perspective

Father's Day is always a difficult day for divorce lawyers, especially those of us who are fathers. Like all fathers, we enjoy the emphasis on our parenthood, but the difficulty is that we represent, or have represented many fathers who don't have the amount of quality time with their children that the children deserve. Not that we don't also have mothers who experience the same thing, but on Father's Day, that's what jumps out to us, over and over. The text messages, calls, emails and notes from appreciative clients who wish us a happy Father's Day, even the ones who have reduced, minimal or no time with their own children. It is a good time to remember that children almost always need both parents and that both sides (parents and their lawyers) should do all they can to promote that (of course there are exceptions, legitimate exceptions). Opposing parties may never know what we say to our own clients, so encouraging our own clients, when appropriate, to facilitate the relationship the children have with the other parent is a good deed we can do and feel good about. No one else may ever know, but when a client wishes us a happy Father's Day, it feels better knowing we are doing our best to make it a happy Father's Day for all of our clients and their children. Shouldn't that be the goal?