In today’s society, what were once considered ‘traditional’ parenting roles are often reversed, or the lines between the roles associated with motherhood and fatherhood have been blurred. More and more mothers are active in the workplace, and father who choose to stay at home and raise their children are no longer an anomaly. Even in Massachusetts households in which both parents work, fathers play a far more active role in the upbringing of their children than in generations past. Unfortunately, however, fathers who divorce still face challenges when attempting to assert their custody rights. The law is widely known to lag behind social change. While some judges have come to acknowledge and honor the equal role that many fathers play in the lives of their children, this is not always the case. In many custody battles, the mother has an advantage from the very outset, based on nothing more than cultural presumptions. Therefore, fathers who wish to win shared or equal custody must take a string stance from the beginning. Perhaps the most important aspect of winning the right to share equally in the upbringing of one’s children is to assert one’s parental rights as soon as child custody negotiations begin. It may be helpful to chart out various parenting time arrangements, in order to have a visual reference that shows how different schedules would play out over a given month. In some cases, fathers who receive an every-other-weekend schedule could go as many as 12 days without spending time

Massachusetts sports fans may be aware of the custody battle waged between football star Deion Sanders and his estranged wife, Pilar. The former couple has been at odds with one another for months concerning the care and custody of their three children, as well as details of their divorce. A recent court decision in the matter is being heralded as a major victory for fathers’ rights. The pair went before a family court judge to argue for the right to parent their three children in the manner each saw fit. After hearing testimony and reviewing evidence in the case, the judge made a ruling that divides parenting duties between the parties. The ruling grants both parents shared/joint custody of the three children. All three are to rotate between the two households on a weekly basis, whereas the previous arrangement placed the two boys in Deion’s care and the daughter in the care of her mother. Deion will retain the right to make all educational decisions, and will also have control of decisions involving their athletic pursuits. More importantly, Deion will have the right to determine their place of residence, which can be significant in any future hearings on the matter. This case demonstrates that family court judges in Massachusetts and elsewhere have a great deal of leeway in making determinations involving child custody. As long as the best interests of the child or children at the center of a custody dispute are being served, a judge can order a wide