3. Reader Response (30 points). Respond to the author of one of the essays assigned for this week, agreeing or disagreeing with the ’s argument or making a related point. Due by Day 7 through the Assignment Feature.

A Review on Dorsett Bennett 's Essay

I , Too , Am a Good Parent One of the modern realities of life is the fact that most children are now living in a divorce set up --and perhaps , more so in the United States where divorce rate is very high . Divorce has become such a normal occurrence in the modern American Society that it no longer comes as a surprise to a child if his or her parents decide to go their separate ways and opt for divorce . Just the same , the normalcy of this

kind of situation does not , in any way , lessen the pain or the inconveniences that divorce brings along the way . One of those painful decisions that will have to be made , sooner or later , is : who gets the children

Child custody has never been an easy subject for any parent--regardless of whether it is the mother or the father who is doing the pitching . In Dorsett Bennett 's essay , he illustrates the norm by which the courts (and society , for that matter ) decide on the issue of custody . Most often than not , the mother is always the first choice when decision time comes . Fathers are taken into consideration only if there is proof that the mother is unfit to care for the children

I would have to agree with the main argument of Bennett that there should be no bias against the father when it comes to the issue of child custody . Let 's face it : not all mothers are as perfect as we would want them to be . Fathers can be just as devoted and as committed to their children 's welfare as the mother

I am of the opinion that Bennett is right in saying that the modern woman has evolved completely from the time of the Industrial Revolution where the woman 's main role is to take care of the children . As noted by Bennett in his essay , during that time , father went to work during the day , leaving the full-time care of the young to the mother , who stayed at home . Hence , it was so much easier to decide as to who should get child custody under those circumstances

Nowadays , the modern woman is given more responsibilities outside the home . The modern woman has become more than just a wife and a mother --she has become a career woman as well . As a result , she may no longer have the same amount of time , or even attention , that she used to have for child rearing . Of course , this does not in any way make her a bad parent . But she is now also burdened with the same obligations as that of the father . Just like the father , she would have to divide her time between her career and her children

Hence , in cases of divorce , gender should no longer be the main criteria when deciding on who gets the custody of the children . Rather the decision should be made based on the question : who is the better parent . I also would have to agree with Bennett 's observation that fathers , nowadays , have become more involved when it comes to raising the children

Bennett put it succinctly in his essay 's title : child custody in cases of divorce , decision should be made as to who the better parent is . And since he feels that he has proven that he is a good parent , too , Bennett should have been given the benefit of the doubt by the judge

Naturally , fathers like Bennett have welcomed the notion that there are now legislative measures that recognize the fact that child custody should be gender blind . This means that in cases of divorce , the child should be placed under the custody of the better parent -the one who will look after the best interest of the child

Despite the revolutionary changes on the way society and statutes recognize the importance of gender-blind decisions on the issue of child custody , there is still much concern on how some judges arrive at a decision on certain cases . In the case of Bennett , he was deprived of legal guardianship status because the burden of proving that his wife was unfit to raise their children fell on his shoulders . I would also have to agree that the courtrooms are still dominated by the male chauvinists who Bennett describes as having strong natural bias in favor of the mother in a child-custody case . He is right in saying that holding on to the-mother-is-always-the-better-parent ' idea is regressive and in some cases , even downright unfair

There should be a conscious effort on the part of judges and society , in general , to realize that fathers have the same ability as the mothers to care for their own children . If the father has undoubtedly proven his ability to rear his children in the best possible way , then it should be the moral obligation of the courts to give him the chance he deserves

Love is blind , so they say . And I believe that it is . Most of all , love of one 's child is innate in every parent . And that loving , raising and molding one 's child should be given to the best parent -regardless of whether it is the father or the mother PAGE

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A Review on Dorsett Bennett 's Essay : I , Too , Am a Good Parent ...