MICHIGAN CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER — IT’S TIME FOR EQUAL PARENTING!

Children should never have to lose a loving, capable parent simply because their parents separate.

Across Michigan, fathers are fighting for something that should never be so difficult: the opportunity to be present, active, and involved in their children’s lives. Behind every court case is a family, behind every court order are children, and behind every missed visit is a moment that can never be recovered.

I know this fight personally. I am a father of two beautiful daughters, and all I have ever wanted is to be an active, present, and loving part of their lives. I want to be there for the birthdays, the milestones, the school events, the everyday moments, and all the little things that make childhood special. I want my daughters to grow up knowing their father was there for them, that he never stopped fighting to be involved, and that they were always worth the fight.

Yet, like too many parents, I have experienced firsthand how emotionally and financially exhausting the family court process can become. Time that should be spent raising my children is consumed by legal battles, conflict, and the struggle to have my voice heard. No parent should have to spend years fighting for the opportunity to be a meaningful part of their children’s lives, and no child should have to grow up missing out on a loving parent when it is safe and appropriate for that parent to be involved.

My story is not the only story. Across Michigan, fathers and families are facing similar struggles, watching childhood pass by while court proceedings drag on and legal expenses mount. Some parents feel unheard. Others struggle to maintain meaningful relationships with their children. And too often, the people with the most to lose—the children—have the least control over the outcome.

A father is not a visitor. A mother is not replaceable. A child is not a bargaining chip. And parenthood should never be a competition.

When both parents are loving, fit, and capable, children should have a meaningful opportunity to benefit from the love, guidance, stability, and support of both. Parenting decisions should be based on evidence, individual circumstances, and the best interests of each child—not stereotypes, gender-based assumptions, or unsubstantiated allegations. Legitimate safety concerns must always be taken seriously, and no presumption of equal parenting should override evidence that a different arrangement is necessary to protect a child.

That is why we are calling on Michigan lawmakers to support a rebuttable presumption of equal, 50/50 shared parenting when both parents are fit and capable, with appropriate exceptions when a child’s safety or best interests require a different arrangement.

We are also calling for greater fairness, accountability, and transparency in family court proceedings; meaningful consideration of both parents’ roles in their children’s lives; and decisions that prioritize children’s well-being over unnecessary conflict and prolonged litigation.

This movement is not about fathers versus mothers. It is not about taking children away from one parent to give them to another. It is about protecting children’s opportunity to maintain safe, healthy, and meaningful relationships with both parents. It is about recognizing that children need more than financial support—they need love, guidance, consistency, and parents who can show up for them.

I am speaking up because I refuse to believe that struggling to remain an involved father should be accepted as normal. I am speaking up for my daughters, for the fathers who feel silenced, for the mothers who have experienced unfair treatment, for grandparents who miss their grandchildren, and for every child caught in the middle of a system that must continually strive to do better.

Every missed birthday, every missed milestone, every bedtime story, every hug, and every ordinary day apart represents time our children can never get back.

Our children did not choose the separation. They did not ask for the court battle. They should not have to carry the consequences of adult conflict or lose meaningful relationships that could safely remain part of their lives.

We cannot change the past for every family, but we can work toward a better future for the next generation. We can demand laws that recognize the value of both parents, procedures that treat families fairly, and decisions that put children’s needs first.

Sign the petition. Share this message. Make your voice heard.

Stand with Michigan’s children. Stand with families seeking fairness. Stand with every loving parent fighting to remain present in a child’s life.

This is bigger than my story. It is bigger than any one father or mother. It is about the childhoods being lived right now, the relationships that deserve protection, and the future we leave to our children.

OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER. FAMILIES DESERVE FAIRNESS. EVERY CHILD DESERVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE TWO LOVING, INVOLVED PARENTS WHENEVER IT IS SAFE AND IN THEIR BEST INTERESTS.

LET’S PUT CHILDREN FIRST. LET’S DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY. LET’S MAKE EQUAL PARENTING A PRIORITY IN MICHIGAN!