Can infants stay overnight with their divorced dads or not? - by Frances Garnett

Ever since the "McIntosh" research report of 2007, stating that if infants under two years old spend one or more nights a week in their "non-primary caregiver's care" (usually, in the case of a divorce, the dad who didn't get custody) are more likely to be more irritable, distressed and insecure with their primary parent (the mom), and more emotionally and physically stressed in general, it has become a given that these findings are true, and they've ruled Australian family law ever since. Fathers have had no hope of overnight contact with their children if they're under three, and it's greatly discouraged by mediators. However, a new report finds that infants can develop attachments with multiple caregivers and that they are in fact better off spending overnight time with both parents. It also challenged the accuracy of the first report, recalling problems in how its data was collected and analyzed. While the first report talks about the "importance of the primary attachment relationship" (with the mom) and says that regular contact, even if for a short time, can develop relationships with dads, the second one says that denying overnight stays with dads can damage their relationships. Because of the first report's influence, Australian fathers have only had access to their young children for a few hours, while this second one (and other similar reports) could really change family law.

I think that the author of this article wanted the reader to sympathize with the dads and make them agree that the second report was correct, but I still agree anyway. It seems really cruel to stop a parent from seeing their child, and while I understand that infants are especially fragile, the article made a good point saying that children often spend overnight time with grandparents, babysitters and other family members or close friends, so spending time with their father shouldn't be much of a difference. I also disagree that this diminishes a child's relationship with their mother, because when a friend of my mom's had a baby, her kid developed relationships with many people and was still close to his mother. While I have nothing against single moms, and encourage them even, I still think that having close ties with both parents is still very important in someone's development and growth.

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/national/empty-days-lonely-nights-20140428-37e3e.html