Divorce is a messy and potentially damaging process as far as kids are concerned.

This is why I’m pleased the government has taken the decision to enshrine in law the explicit principle that both parents need to be involved in their child’s upbringing.

There’s probably wider political motives to this move, but its nonetheless reassuring that ministers are willing to recognised the potential for courts to favour one parent over another in decisions.

From here on out, courts will be compelled to make decisions based on the principle that both parents should have an active role in their child’s lives.

This is definitely a victory for dads, who are prone to seeing access to their child cut back as a result of court rulings that favour mum.

Coincidentally, this announcement comes not long after a new piece of research underlined the role of dads in kids’ lives.

Not only are both parents crucial, but dad’s role is in some cases greater than that of mums in their child’s development.

Plenty of people claim anxiety, low self-esteem and insecurity are all possible outcomes from some dysfunction in a child’s upbringing. But quite often the finger is pointed squarely at mum, rather than the inactivity or behaviour of dads.

If you haven’t already seen from my previous posts, I’m quite a bit a fan of dad getting involved, but if this new research tells us anything it’s that dads have a huge responsibility to make sure their involvement extends far beyond simply helping out mum.

Dad is far more than a shoulder to cry on for mum once the day is finished, and certainly much more than a breadwinner.

This is just another reason to have a rethink about those old fashioned, outdated concepts of family that still rear their ugly head in the modern age.