They're lovely sentiments yes, and the memories of nuturing children in such a heart-warmed environment must indeed be magic... But do you think it exclusively fits the needs of most children? Sadly (at one end of the spectrum) "love" for their wife is often professed by violent or abusive partners too - a child needs something more. Separated parents are a norm in NZ - whilst that doesn't have to mean the absence of a Dad in their children's lives, unfortunately it can be a reality. I think though, that the concept of "absence" can be interesting - parents can be so locked into their own lives even when living together in (loving) relationships that they become absent to the child. I've seen some excellent live-apart parenting, where the parents no longer love eachother, but respect what eachother has to offer their children and also their children's rights to access that. Maybe mutual respect between parents and unconditional love for children matters even more. Is the NZ experience the same for others ?