"Dad School" Offers Free Legal, Parenting Advice To Fathers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Fathers fighting for custody of their children, or seeking other parenting and child care advice, have been invited to a free workshop on Saturday to meet with lawyers, and get expert advice on negotiating what – for some – can be overwhelming.
Fathers Helping Fathers, a non-profit run by Aaron Del Mar and Mike Smolka, is hosting the daylong event called "Dad School."
Smolka and Del Mar draw on their own experiences with child custody battles as unwed fathers to help other dads in similar situations.
They said they want to take the fear out of custody issues, and working to gain visitation.
Smolka said a lot of fathers are in the same boat, after having a child with a woman outside of marriage.
"Something like 40 percent of children born today are born out of wedlock. You know, times they are a changin'," he said.
Podcast
Smolka and Del Mar said "Dad School" is not just for unwed fathers, but anyone needing free legal advice about custody issues, or practical advice about parenting. Del Mar said they're not anti-mom, just pro-dad.
"We're just trying to show that fathers play a major role in this as well," Del Mar said.
He said a lot of fathers, especially unwed fathers, are overwhelmed.
"They're crushed. I mean, first of all … there's a level of sentiment, 'I'm going to be a dad,' but the second that mom doesn't put their name on the birth certificate, they have no rights. They have to go and file for parentage rights. Then they have a full proctology exam to go over their finances," Del Mar said.
You can register or get more information for "Dad School" by clicking here.
