"Like an uncle but more, but less than a father"--Irish children's relationships with nonresident fathers.

Although previous research has highlighted the importance of the quality of nonresident father–childrelationships for children’s well-being, little is known about children’s perspectives on what underpinsfeelings of closeness to their nonresident fathers. This qualitative study explored the processes thatfacilitate or constrain children’s feelings of closeness to their nonresident fathers. Semistructuredinterviews were conducted with 27 children (ages 8 to 17) who had grown up in a single-motherhousehold, where fathers were nonresident from early in the child’s life. Findings revealed the fragilityof children’s ties with their nonresident fathers and the risk that nonresidence from the outset placed uponthese relationships. Children’s experiences of closeness to fathers were related to perceptions of theirfathers’ commitment to their relationship and his obligation to his parenting role, and to a sense ofconnection to and familiarity with their fathers. It was a challenge for children to feel connected to theirfathers when contact arrangements were detached from caregiving activities and precluded immersion ineach other’s daily lives. Lack of effort on the part of fathers to maintain contact or failure to keeparrangements constrained children’s feelings of closeness and gave rise to feelings of disappointment andanger. Children demonstrated their capacity to act as agents within their families as they made sense ofthese relationships for themselves and accepted or rejected their father as a person who could play ameaningful role in their lives. The implications of the findings for promoting positive relationships withnonresident fathers are discussed.Keywords: nonresident fathers, father–child relationships, commitment, connection, fathering role