It is not uncommon for parents to have disputes over child custody. Ideally, it would be great if parents could simply agree to share joint custody of the child, but this does not always happen. There may be one parent who feels as though they should have sole custody and that the other should only be awarded visitation. When the dispute is taken to court, this is an outcome that is seen often.
Parents who find themselves in court disputing over child custody have probably found it difficult to find an arrangement that is in the child’s best interest. With that being the goal, the court will have to figure out what custody arrangement works best for not only the child but the parents as well. In this particular situation, the father may be the parent chosen to only receive visitation rights instead of custody.
When fathers are awarded visitation by the courts, they may settle for this assuming they may not be able to get sole or joint custody of the child. Year after year, mothers are seen as the primary care provider and the best decision for children when it comes to choosing the parent that will be awarded custody. Knowing this, a father will simply accept visitation and only see his child a certain amount, which may be less than what he would like.
Any parent who is dealing with a child custody dispute may want to contact an attorney. Even though a father has been awarded visitation by the courts, they may be able to get joint custody if they can prove they can properly care for the child. An attorney may be able to help prove this fact and get more than visitation with your child.