We live in the twenty-first century and this means that archaic views of parenting and marriage no longer exist, or at least they shouldn't! This means that a man's role in the upbringing of his children can no longer be shunted to simply serving as a bread-winner or playmate. Because the divorce rate in the United States is quite high, there are many men wondering about divorced fathers' rights. The simple answer to such a question is that divorced fathers' rights to their children are equal to those of the mother, unless the father has a bad history. For instance, a father's rights to custody or visitation with his children can only be impacted in a negative way if his behaviors are of emotional, physical or mental detriment to the child. The same thing applies to the mother equally. Most courts view a parent's rights in terms of the child's "best interest" and will encourage divorced parents to make the healthiest arrangements for their children possible.