Men can't have custody.

[RavenStarr]

Women are better are taking care of kids so they get custody unless there is something wrong with this.

Well Panda, my husband used to work with a man who had full custody of his daughter. Her mother only got weekend visits. Unless there is something wrong with this.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Nature relies solely on physical characteristics. Much of it's situational. For some species the physically weaker, but more agile females are better hunters, for others (albeit most) it's the physically stronger males. Either way, it's a no-brainier that the gender with the necessary equipment spends the most time with the young.

That said, both genders are wired to take care of their families. In general terms, mothers to nurture, fathers to protect. But the basic parental instinct is there in both cases and there's no reason to believe that either loves their child more or less than the other, merely a little bit differently.

[Rebel]

Throughout history and the animal kingdom the mother has been the primary raiser of children. Things like that don't happen by chance. Men don't get the same kind of bonding. They don't carry the child, nurse the child, or give birth to the child. Yes there are many examples of women being bad mothers but there could be many more examples of men being bad fathers. People are just focusing on the mothers in this thread.

But using that as an example only really covers the gestation and the first couple of months of a child's life. A woman's ability to get pregnant and to be able to lactate is about as important to the raising of a child as a a man's ability to pee while standing up.
While I agree that women breast-feeding is important for a child, modern advancements have made it possible for a man (or woman) to feed their baby formula instead and still have them grow up healthy. Funnily enough, you don't need any boobies for this.

Bonding with a child happens through skin on skin interaction. Men are just as good at taking off their shirts as women are.

Life skills are taught to a child throughout their life. Everyone learns these skills, men and women both, so it seems stupid to think that only women would be able to pass this knowledge on.

A child is able to identify and love whomever actually raises them. They don't have any sort of mental block that makes them go "NO! You're a man. You can't be my main provider in life." They just love whomever loves them.

A child should have the best start in life, with the best parents possible, be they man, woman, gay, lesbian. Boobies do not necessarily mean 'best possible parent'.

Wouldn't it be more about the nipples than the whole boobs?

It's about the whole boob, but the nipple is seen as the taboo part of it. You could show nearly all the boob, but as soon as you see nipple, you've gone too far.
The nipple holds all the power!

[jackfaire]

I am a better parent to my child than my exwife is. My exwife is a selfish person who cares about herself more than her children and her concern for them is based mostly in how she looks as a mom.

[KnitShoni]

I am a better parent to my child than my exwife is. My exwife is a selfish person who cares about herself more than her children and her concern for them is based mostly in how she looks as a mom.

Heh, if I didn't know better, I'd say you and my husband have the same ex-wife.

[Fryk]

Panda, throughout nature, we ALSO see mother animals violently pushing their children away as soon as they're weened, or eating them if the mother is starving. Should we REALLY look to nature to find an ideal for humanity?