Not every man who is a father wants to be a part of the life of his child. However, as a father, you have parental rights too. Growing up without a father may affect a child negatively. Both parents should work together to find an arrangement that is fair and that will give the father and child a decent amount of time together each month. It would be ideal for this to happen, but sometimes parents cannot agree and the case must go to court.
When two parents do not have a parenting agreement in place, they have the opportunity to set one up. This means that they have to agree on an arrangement that gives both of them time with the child. If they cannot agree, or the mother does not want to give the father visitation rights, the father can petition the courts for visitation. Both parents will have to go before a judge who will determine which parent will get custody of the child. The father may be awarded visitation if not joint custody.
Many issues with child custody lead to court when parents cannot agree. It is common for mothers to feel as though they should be the custodial parent and that the father should only receive visitation. However, if the father has proven paternity, he likely has the right to be in his child’s life despite what the mother may feel.
As a father, you may want to exercise your rights to be a part of your child’s life. Anyone who is interested in gaining visitation or custody of their child may want to contact an attorney. These types of battles aren’t always easy, but with the help of an attorney, fathers may be able to start to build a relationship with their children.