Another day, another article trying to give dads any other excuse for staying home than a love for their family. Recently, we covered a My Fox Houston article that claimed stay-at-home-dads are losing the point-and-laugh stigma, all while pointing and laughing. This time around, it’s Wisconsin’s Wasau Daily Herald, who claim that “men who have been forced by the Great Recession to take on roles traditionally filled by women are increasingly accepting their new duties.”

Et cetera, et cetera.

Problem is, the article also mentions (actually, in the other half of their own sentence), that some fathers “in some instances are choosing to stay home with their children even when other options are available.” Sounds like fathers staying home are less victims of the “Great Recession” than champions of loving their families.

A free event for fathers is popping-off right now in Milwaukee and continues until mid-day tomorrow. The Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit is in its sixth year and includes workshops, discussions and resources to help fathers. Topics/Talks include:

• Stop the Drama…I Want to Be a Good Father!
• The Strength of the Family Lies on My Shoulders
• So I’m a New Dad, What Now?
• Personal Time Management Through the Spirit, Mind and Body
• Leadership Starts at Home
• A Father’s Influence on His Children

And more, plus credit reviews, on-site child support case reviews, and believe it or not, on-site barbers.

Check the sauce for more info!

Because we love Wisconsin news so much, we’ve got another story out of Wisconsin by Mike Nichols. He talks about an unfortunate incident where a 3 year old died in an incident in a car.

The boy’s father, Erik Affolter, filed a wrongful death law suit, claiming loss of “society and companionship.”

The kicker was that Affolter had never really been his son’s companion. He had been more or less blocked from seeing his child by his son’s mother and her family. But he paid child support. Or at least, that’s the story. According to the court records, Affolter never sent a birthday or Christmas card. He didn’t attend the boy’s funeral. Affolter had a son. Physically speaking, of course.

It’s hard to say what the real story is – but it brings up an interesting issue of what makes you a father. Are you a father, simply because you share DNA with a child? Unfortunately, it’s complicated; some things should be granted to you in any case. Some things should not be granted.

Do you get to argue that you lost a companion that you never saw? Probably not. But it’s tough to know for sure what exactly Erik Affolter lost the day his biological son died.

Sauce: Sheboygan Press

Not that we’re calling Wisconsin “boring” by any means – but let’s be honest, there’s a lot more exciting fatherhood news out there. Still, we thought it’d be a shame to not let you know that single-father households are on the rise in Wisconsin.

Factors include blah blah blah and the trend reflects a blah blah blah.

Apologies to our Wisconsin readers; we still love you. And if you are in Wisconsin, or love census stats, check out the sauce link below.

Sauce: University of Wisconsin-Madison News

Department of Children and Families and the Wisconsin Works welfare program are going to start looking to fathers as legitimate parents.

This is great news since coincidentally, fathers have been legitimate parents since the beginning of time.

Milwaukee County’s Department of Child Support Enforcement, Lisa Marks, acknowledged the difference between “dead beat dads” and “dead broke dads,” a distinction that has led to the disparity in positive attention to fathers in the welfare system.

The Department of Children and Families is looking to change their “W2″ program, which typically gives welfare money to only one parent, and places a child with the parent who – now get this – has most of the child’s toys. Yes, a divorced father in Wisconsin can lose his child in the event that he is laid off from a job and has fewer toys than his ex-wife! Under new proposed legislation, factors like employment and education would be used to determine child placement.

While this sounds like a great idea – a national group of welfare experts mentioned that involving fathers can be difficult. “A large portion of fathers are in prison or jail,” says Marilyn Putz, vice president and director of operation for programs in Walworth County, including the Jobs Center.

So, if you’re thinking about becoming a father, Wisconsin might not be the place for you. They kind of hate you there, FYI.

Read the rest of this delightful article sauced below.

Sauce: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel