Why is it that a father who fights to be present for his children gets treated like the problem? I am living that question right now. My divorce was finalized last year, and I am now in a bitter, nasty custody battle where people are actually giving me advice to stay away from my son's high school football game and my daughter's soccer practices and games. I cannot wrap my head around why anyone would tell a parent to step back from the very moments that shape a child's life.

These are not small things. These are core memories of childhood. Our kids remember who showed up, who cheered, who stood on the sidelines, and who kept loving them out loud. When a parent is pushed out of those everyday moments, children lose more than a ride to practice or a face in the stands. They lose connection, support, stability, and the message that both parents matter.

That is why I am calling on family courts to make protecting children's access to both parents a real priority whenever it is safe and possible. Parents should not be treated like a threat just because they want equal parenting time or want to be present at school events, games, and practices. The system should stop rewarding absence and stop normalizing the idea that one parent can be pushed to the sidelines of a child's life. Courts should start from the understanding that children deserve consistent love and involvement from both parents.

If you believe kids should not be used as leverage, and that being an active parent should never be treated like a problem, please sign this petition. Sign if you believe children deserve to grow up knowing both parents fought to be there for them. Sign if you believe family courts need to do better for the families caught in the middle.