Noun: "(informal, sometimes pejorative) a non-custodial father who has custody of or visitation with his child/children primarily or exclusively on weekends"[edit]
1993, Levon Helm (with Stephen Davis), This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of The Band, A Capella Books (2013), →ISBN, page 245:
She and the kids moved to Brentwood, and I continued to see the kids as much as being a weekend dad allowed.
1999, Beverly Barton, Having His Baby, Silhouette Books (1999), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
She and Jake had agreed to a temporary marriage that would provide Louisa with a legitimacy that no one could question, secure Donna's position at the college and give Jake a chance to truly bond with his daughter before he became a weekend dad.
1999, Tara Taylor Quinn, My Babies and Me, Harlequin (1999), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
“I guess what she's saying, man, is that a good weekend dad is a hell of a lot better than no dad at all.”
And, remember, it is the court's assessment of the children's interest that ultimately counts, rather than yours. Even if you got what you wanted over surnames – which you probably would – you might also end up being reduced to just another weekend dad.
2011, Kimberlee Murray, "The Constant", in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Dad: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love, and Good Times (eds. Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, & Wendy Walker), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
My dad promised that he would be more than just a “weekend dad” who fulfilled his obligatory parental duties with limited visits.
Simply put: He's telling her because he's buzzed and feeling useless and like an outcast, a looming divorcé, a weekend dad destined to fail his kids […]
2015, Sara Nickerson, The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose & Me, Dutton Children's Books (2015), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
I licked my fingers clean. "I don't care what he says. He's just a weekend dad. He has no rights during the week."
Noun: "(informal, sometimes pejorative) a custodial father whose time with his child/children is limited mainly to weekends"[edit]
2004, Gerald P. Mallon, Gay Men Choosing Parenthood, Columbia University Press (2004), →ISBN, pages 128-129:
If a dad is commuting to the city to New York and goes to New York on the seven o'clock train and comes home on the seven o'clock at night train, then he is a weekend dad; [he] is not really involved as the primary parent.
2011, Edrid E. Tirado, The Dad Guide: A Collection of 1,001 Different Ways to Be a Better Dad, iUniverse (2011), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
If you're a single dad, don't let anyone call you a weekend dad. Interact with your children daily and check up on their schoolwork daily.
2015, David Caren, The Irish Dad's Survival Guide to Pregnancy [& Beyond], The O'Brien Press Ltd (2015), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
The only real downside was that I had a daily commute to Dublin. I had to leave early and did not return until late in the evening. This all meant that I ended up being a weekend dad!