Where the Single Dads At?

[V da Mighty Taco]

Something occurred to me while watching an episode of Powerpuff Girls - Professor Utonium (or however you spell it) was a single dad for all intents and purposes, and you don't actually see too many of them in television or video games (and they're often done poorly in movies, with the children usually being nothing more than a plot device). The show also actually explored the Powerpuff Girl's relationship with their dad quite often, making the relationship more than token. I also recall hearing about DC's Roy Harper (aka The Red Arrow / Arsenal) being a single dad whose relationship with his daughter made him one of the more popular Titans, until they permanently killed her off in Cry for Justice then rewrote her out of existence in the reboot, much to the dismay of many fans.

Well, this got me thinking about how rare fleshed-out single dads seem to be in media, especially in contrast to single moms. So now I ask you - where are the single dads at, and why do they seem so uncommon? Do writers not like the concept of a single dad who actual has a developed relationship with their kids?

Captcha: "generation"

 

[shootthebandit]

Big daddy is the only real mainstream film which focuses on this issue. I know its a stupid adam sandler comedy but I think it does a good job tackling the issue

The reason you dont see too many single dads in movies is due to the nature of custody battles. The woman will 99% of the time get custody (even if the father is a better parent) and the father will get weekends (if hes lucky) and forced to pay ridiculous amount of child support to the mother (which isnt controlled so she can spend it on what she wants). Theres a lot of bullshit about "male problems" but this is definitely one of the genuine ones.

 

[Queen Michael]

The reason you dont see too many single dads in movies is due to the nature of custody battles. The woman will 99% of the time get custody (even if the father is a better parent) and the father will get weekends (if hes lucky) and forced to pay ridiculous amount of child support to the mother (which isnt controlled so she can spend it on what she wants). Theres a lot of bullshit about "male problems" but this is definitely one of the genuine ones.

While it's true that dads are treated really unfairly when it comes to custody battles, that doesn't really explain why single dads show up rarely in fiction. it's not like a lack of single dads IRL makes it harder to use them in fiction. by that logic, there'd be way fewer superheroes in movies.

Also, Liam Neeson was a single dad in Love Actually.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

There's Kramer vs. Kramer. He's divorced but it counts in my book.

 

[CloudAtlas]

The reason you dont see too many single dads in movies is due to the nature of custody battles. The woman will 99% of the time get custody (even if the father is a better parent) and the father will get weekends (if hes lucky) and forced to pay ridiculous amount of child support to the mother (which isnt controlled so she can spend it on what she wants). Theres a lot of bullshit about "male problems" but this is definitely one of the genuine ones.

Custody law practice favouring mothers in most developed countries is definitely an injustice against the fathers, but by exaggerating like this you're not doing them any favours. If anything , you discredit their cause by coming off like one of those guys who spout "bullshit about "male problems"" yourself.

 

[Colour Scientist]

The reason you dont see too many single dads in movies is due to the nature of custody battles. The woman will 99% of the time get custody (even if the father is a better parent) and the father will get weekends (if hes lucky) and forced to pay ridiculous amount of child support to the mother (which isnt controlled so she can spend it on what she wants). Theres a lot of bullshit about "male problems" but this is definitely one of the genuine ones.

I'm fairly certain that it's closer to 15%, not 1%.
I'm not saying that it's not an issue, just that 99% is a serious exaggeration.

As for the child support, it isn't usually that ridiculous, not when compared to the actual cost of raising a child. Again, I'm not saying that no women mis-spend child support money, it just gets on my nerves when people act like single mothers get thousands in child support every week and buy clothes and get manicures while the child is neglected.

OP: Yeah, it's not something you see terribly often, it's also kind of common for the mother to be dead when that situation arises on-screen too. I can't think of many examples off the top of my head but my brain is kind of fried so I can't even think of examples of single mothers right now.
Supernatural comes to mind, mostly because I'm binge watching it at the moment.
Wasn't there a show called Raising Hope or something? I think it was about a guy raising his child because the mother was in prison.
I know there are more, I'm just struggling to think of anything right now.

 

[shootthebandit]

Custody law practice favouring mothers in most developed countries is definitely an injustice against the fathers, but by exaggerating like this you're not doing them any favours. If anything , you discredit their cause by coming off like one of those guys who spout "bullshit about "male problems"" yourself.

Its quite clear that 99% was an exaggeration. Im not going to look at the actually figures because its pretty evident that it doesnt favour the man. Yes I was exaggerating but everyone I know in this situation only gets their kids on weekends and they have to pay a high child support which goes directly to the mother

While it's true that dads are treated really unfairly when it comes to custody battles, that doesn't really explain why single dads show up rarely in fiction. it's not like a lack of single dads IRL makes it harder to use them in fiction. by that logic, there'd be way fewer superheroes in movies.

Id say a better comparison would be homosexual parents. Homosexual parents are fairly uncommon so we wouldnt expect to see a lot of them on TV/movies

Also due to the nature of single dads and custody battles it would usually mean that the mother would have to die or be a drug addict for the dad to get custody (which isnt really appropriate for most TV shows, especially comedies)

Pretty much every disney movie is about a single dad. Bambis mum gets shot, in pinocchio gippeto could be considered a single father and marlin from finding nemo is also a single dad after his mum gets eaten

 

[Frezzato]

Wow, this is harder than I thought.

The character Vincent, played by Toby Stephens in the sci-fi movie The Machine[footnote]Why are there movies that are fairly well accepted by critics but not by audiences? [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2013/][/footnote] from 2013, he's a single dad.

For people thirsting for science fiction, watch The Machine. It's not without its flaws, but I thought it was well done. The only "problem" I had with it, which is something I've noticed with other films like Contracted (2013), is that the ending hints at something bigger and grander, and it almost makes me wish I'd seen that movie instead.

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And I think one more would be the lead in the TV show Longmire. I've been watching it on Netflix. Longmire's daughter is grown up though.

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I'm really reaching here, but there was Tom Cruise's character in The War of the Worlds. I think.

 

[JoJo]

Eh, aside from what people have already said, Bunny Drop and the Casper Movie? To be fair, parents don't always get a good rap in fiction, seems like every other kid protagonist is an orphan and for good reason: it's an easy way to get meddling parents out of the way so young heroes can believably go on adventures.

 

[shootthebandit]

As for the child support, it isn't usually that ridiculous, not when compared to the actual cost of raising a child. Again, I'm not saying that no women mis-spend child support money, it just gets on my nerves when people act like single mothers get thousands in child support every week and buy clothes and get manicures while the child is neglected.

Child support is high. I didnt say it wasnt a fair amount but its still a lot of money. Im not saying all mums are abusing the system and im not going into daily mail mode where single parents are making a living off the state but what I am saying is that there is potential for the system to be abused by the mother. There is nothing stopping the mother going out and buying clothes or getting a manicure

 

[CloudAtlas]

Custody law practice favouring mothers in most developed countries is definitely an injustice against the fathers, but by exaggerating like this you're not doing them any favours. If anything , you discredit their cause by coming off like one of those guys who spout "bullshit about "male problems"" yourself.

Its quite clear that 99% was an exaggeration. Im not going to look at the actually figures because its pretty evident that it doesnt favour the man. Yes I was exaggerating but everyone I know in this situation only gets their kids on weekends and they have to pay a high child support which goes directly to the mother

To who else but the mother? The child?

I'm just telling you that by suggesting basically all single moms receive "ridiculous amounts of child support", i.e. much more than the child actually needs, implying that they spend the remainder for their own selfish desires, and that basically all single moms attempt to prevent contact with the father you move reeeally close to the rethoric of those from whom you tried to distance yourself.

 

[CloudAtlas]

As for the child support, it isn't usually that ridiculous, not when compared to the actual cost of raising a child. Again, I'm not saying that no women mis-spend child support money, it just gets on my nerves when people act like single mothers get thousands in child support every week and buy clothes and get manicures while the child is neglected.

Child support is high. I didnt say it wasnt a fair amount but its still a lot of money. Im not saying all mums are abusing the system and im not going into daily mail mode where single parents are making a living off the state but what I am saying is that there is potential for the system to be abused by the mother. There is nothing stopping the mother going out and buying clothes or getting a manicure

The thing is though, you didn't say "a lot of money", you said "ridiculously high", which can hardly be interpreted as "fair amount". You didn't outright say that all single moms abuse the system, but you heavily implied that many do. And, no, you weren't just talking about the mere "potential for the system to be abused by the mother", you were suggesting that it actually is abused, and frequently so.

 

[Phasmal]

The best example I can think of in film of a single father is Robert from Enchanted.
Because he has a good relationship with his daughter, and it addresses the absence of her mother and didn't just give the stereotypical `Oh she dead` thing that movies go for.

Mostly I just really like that movie.

 

[shootthebandit]

As for the child support, it isn't usually that ridiculous, not when compared to the actual cost of raising a child. Again, I'm not saying that no women mis-spend child support money, it just gets on my nerves when people act like single mothers get thousands in child support every week and buy clothes and get manicures while the child is neglected.

Child support is high. I didnt say it wasnt a fair amount but its still a lot of money. Im not saying all mums are abusing the system and im not going into daily mail mode where single parents are making a living off the state but what I am saying is that there is potential for the system to be abused by the mother. There is nothing stopping the mother going out and buying clothes or getting a manicure

The thing is though, you didn't say "a lot of money", you said "ridiculously high", which can hardly be interpreted as "fair amount". You didn't outright say that all single moms abuse the system, but you heavily implied that many do. And, no, you weren't just talking about the mere "potential for the system to be abused by the mother", you were suggesting that it actually is abused, and frequently so.

When I said "ridiculously" high its just a term. I could have said "extremely" high or "incredibly high". I was trying to get the point across that its a very large chunk of money and I thought hyperbole was a good way of describing that (obviously not)

Like I said not all mums abuse the system and its probably a very small notable minority but its still notable. The main point I was getting at was that it goes to the mother and how much the child gets is not regulated in a way. Id like to think the majority of mothers have the childs best interest and the money is spent accordingly (and that probably is the case)

Using hyperbole in written form probably wasnt the best idea

Edit: before this gets anymore out of hand lets just say that you dont see many single dads because custody tends to go in favour of the mother. That was my main point and I think we can all agree on that

Im not sure is pursuit of happyness counts? He wasnt a single dad but his mum had very little involvement throughout the movie

 

[Ryotknife]

Ben's father from the TV show Lost. Granted he was an alcoholic and horribly abused his kid....

There was a single dad in the movie Jumper who.....was also alcoholic and abused his kid....

errr

OH OH OH

Final fantasy tactics advance! Mewt's father is actually nice (although unreliable and no confidence) and is a single dad.......and is an alcoholic. But he is not abusive! Progress!

Bleach, Ichigo's dad. Good all around person, although doesnt seem like a good parent.

Generally speaking though if there is a single dad in fiction i kinda expect him to be a terrible human being.

 

[Cybertech]

When it comes to dead parents, the first place to go is usually Disney movies though I don't know how accurate something like Finding Nemo would be to real life.

Actually, there was a show on the DC block on cartoon network about Black Lightning and his daughters. Only found a few clips here and there so can't tell how much the single dad part comes up.

 

[Story]

Um, I don't know...I personally think you see that a lot in fiction. Disney movies give great examples of this: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, A Goofy Movie, Tarzan (with Jane), Pinocchio, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Chicken Little, and Pocahontas are some I can name off the top of my head. Then we also have Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, A Shark Tale, ect.
In fact, I have a harder time naming movies with single mothers and would urge we need more of that in fiction. Go figure. Granted those are all animated films, but I think I can still make my point with just that list.

As for the child support issue...eh. I was basically raised only with my father so there is not much I can say about except I feel custody should go to the most fitting parent for the child.

 

[MysticSlayer]

There's Static's dad from Static Shock. Virgil/Static's mom was a paramedic who died while trying to help people that were injured during a riot. A major part of Virgil's and his sister's relationship with their dad was due to the fact that he had raised them all by himself throughout most of their lives, and it was handled fantastically throughout the series. Now, the show arguably did spend more time dealing with the hurt Virgil continued to feel over his mom's death rather than his relationship with his dad, but it was certainly not an issue the show shied away from when dealing with their relationship.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

The best example I can think of in film of a single father is Robert from Enchanted.
Because he has a good relationship with his daughter, and it addresses the absence of her mother and didn't just give the stereotypical `Oh she dead` thing that movies go for.

Mostly I just really like that movie.

Admittedly, I don't have too much issue with the "Mommy Died" cliche (other than the tendency to make the mother a dead Mary Sue). It just seems like stories about a single dad focusing on actually being a dad, especially when it's not the teenage daughter as the protagonist.

Um, I don't know...I personally think you see that a lot in fiction. Disney movies give great examples of this: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, A Goofy Movie, Tarzan (with Jane), Pinocchio, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Chicken Little, and Pocahontas are some I can name off the top of my head. Then we also have Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, A Shark Tale, ect.
In fact, I have a harder time naming movies with single mothers and would urge we need more of that in fiction. Go figure. Granted those are all animated films, but I think I can still make my point with just that list.

As for the child support issue...eh. I was basically raised only with my father so there is not much I can say about except I feel custody should go to the most fitting parent for the child.

You do have a very solid point, though in those stories it's usually more about the kid than the father. I guess I'd just like to see more stories that have a little more emphasis on the father's perspective, so we can see what being a single dad means to them. Still, you did make a good point.