Most people think an absent parent automatically harms children. But developmental science tells a different story. Erikson, Bowlby, Bronfenbrenner, and Vygotsky all show that children are not damaged by absence itself, but by harmful or unskilled presence. Labels like “deadbeat dad” are social constructs, not scientific facts. This article explores what the research actually says about absence, presence, and resilience in child development—and why we need to rethink cultural