This letter is directed to any person, male or female, affected by the abuse of family law. The "system" is creating disgruntled children, social ills and increased domestic violence. The system is supposed to protect even the most vulnerable, in this case, children. The exact opposite is occurring.

The term "deadbeat dad" is not a favorable one. The court system and society in general look down on deadbeat dads, and it is not surprising. What the court system may find surprising, though, is that, in actuality, they are creating and pumping out these deadbeat dads.

The court system awards fathers this title when the mothers are granted sole physical custody for no just cause, other than that they are the mother. Once the judge's verdict is read, the father automatically becomes another statistic. The fathers do not choose for themselves to be deadbeats and desire to be anything but. The fathers are simply making do with the court's ruling of seeing their children every other weekend. In reality, the majority of fathers want much more. There are also "deadbeat moms" out there, although not as common because the mothers are usually granted full custody.

The children of divorce are the true victims. Shared parenting not only has been found to be beneficial by numerous mental health professionals, it is generally the children's wishes. The best interest of the children is often bypassed, and in turn the best interest of the mother takes precedence.

Advocates for children of divorce are coming forward and for good reason. Headway is being made on the topic of shared parenting. Laws can change. There is power in numbers.

Fathers shouldn't accept the fate they were dealt. Together we can buck the system and currently are. One such advocate, Mitchell Sanderson, of North Dakota, has been working relentlessly on the behalf of his children and the children of divorce in general. He is proposing to revamp North Dakota child custody laws. We are currently awaiting the go-ahead to achieve the 12,844 needed signatures from eligible voters to place a new measure on the November ballot. This number may seem unimaginable. It is not, as sadly enough there are thousands of people affected by poor judgments from the courts. Anyone wishing to support such efforts may reach Mitchell Sanderson at 701-331-0410.