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With children tending to reside with their mothers following divorce, making arrangements for Father’s Day can be a problematic task for a divorced couple. In fact, for many dads, the prospect of spending Father’s Day without their children is a very real and, indeed, harrowing possibility. Unfortunately, sometimes, this is unavoidable. Divorced couples often relocate and this can make it difficult to make the required arrangements. Nevertheless, every effort should be made to allow children to spend the day with their father. In the event that suitable arrangements cannot be made, then make sure that your children send their dad a card - if they are too young; write the card on their behalf. A phone call or, better yet, a conversation over a web cam, would not go amiss either. It may be difficult to bring yourself to do this, but you should try and wish your former partner a happy Father’s day – this will go a long way towards developing or maintaining an amicable and cordial rapport with your former spouse. Feelings of resentment and bitterness are common following a divorce, and many women deny their former husbands access to their children as a result. True, many fathers disappear into the ether following divorce, but for every dad that makes no effort to see his children, there is another struggling to enjoy contact with his estranged children. Experts are in agreement that it is beneficial for children to enjoy contact with both parents yet – depending upon which study you believe – between thirty five and fifty per cent of fathers lose contact with their children following separations; effectively meaning that three quarters of a million children in the UK are left fatherless following their parents having divorced. More worrying are the results of numerous studies which have revealed that children with absent fathers are more likely to develop drug problems, leave school early, become teenage mothers and display a range of behavioural and psychological problems. So, irrespective of how acrimonious your separation may have been, denying your ex contact with your children is severely detrimental to not only the individual that hurt you, but also the people that you love the most. If your husband isn’t currently enjoying contact with his children, then Father’s Day could be the perfect excuse for you to contact him and work towards an amicable arrangement. Remember, it’s in everyone’s best interests and no parent should be discouraged from playing an active part in their child’s life.