Language shapes thought.

 Of all the attempts to use this to shape society's view of the relationship of children in divided families  to their parents, few are more offensive than describing one as the 'caring parent' and the other as 'absent'.

These terms have mostly now disappeared, and rightly so.

Utterly wrong to describe a parent seeking a relationship with a child, or a better relationship of even, occasionally, to become the residential parent as being 'absent'.

I have just seen a CAFCASS report which uses that term in this context.