And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

I just realized that I have not posted a blog on CASA Chat since May. So much for my pledge to do one post per week!

Please accept my apologies. It's been a little hectic this summer, what with budget cuts, family deaths, and other general excitement. I'm recommitting myself to posting weekly.

Is there something in particular that you'd like to know more about? Just place a comment on the blog and I will get to it.

In the meantime, do you have a CASA case that has a "missing in action" father? Have you tried to find him, or did you think, "Well, if he wanted to be in the child's life, he'd be in the child's life."?

There are lots of reasons fathers may be MIA:

1. Perhaps he has false ideas about what a father's role is. A man may believe that the father's job is limited to providing for the family and handling discipline. He may not realize how much more a father can do for his child.

2. He may not have had time to prepare to be a father. He didn't plan on being a father and he may not feel ready for fatherhood. But, he's helped create a new life and that creates some important responsibilities.

3. He may have had no example from his own father. Perhaps he never really knew his own father, either because his father wasn't around or was emotionally distant. These fathers are on a course to repeat the pattern with their own children.

4. He may sense that he's not needed. Fathers may feel that the mother can meet all of the child's emotional needs, which we know isn't true. Children need loving support from their fathers, as well.

5. Perhaps he went through a difficult divorce or breakup. When two people separate, bitter feelings often result. If the mother gets custody, the father may decide it's less painful to avoid the whole situation.

Oftentimes, fathers who are MIA are non-offending parents who can raise and care for their children. And sometimes, they aren't. Finding them and discovering what services they need to be a good parent is the correct approach for CASA volunteers. Permanent solutions can result.

We'll talk more about this in the coming weeks.