“I’LL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU”
“I’ll always be there for you.” These are words that many fathers who have gone through a separation have said or would have liked to say to their children. Despite marital separation, the vast majority of fathers want to maintain, and very often strengthen, their bond with their children following a break-up – whenever possible, with the coparent’s collaboration.
The Semaine Québécoise de la Paternité 2024 therefore proposes a societal discussion on the often differing paths taken by fathers during periods of marital separation. What are their challenges, their issues, their difficulties, and their motivations? The event aims to help our society to better understand, support, and guide fathers, according to their needs, during this period of major transition.
Our world is changing, as are family configurations, and we must all take note of these transformations, which mean that fathers are increasingly present with their children, and that their role changes when marital separation occurs. We’ve come a long way since the 1980s; shared custody is constantly on the rise, separations often occur earlier in children’s lives, the very meaning of separation is evolving, and so must our notions about parenting, so that fathers, coparents, and children experiencing marital separation can get through this fundamental transition period as smoothly as possible.