There was a time when fathers had no rights over their children after a broken marriage. After a messy divorce, they often lost the right to see their children again. Things have improved today. About 1 in 6 single US parents are single fathers. The court and society are becoming more accepting of men as responsible fathers. Ex-wives and mothers are also agreeing to sharing responsibilities of bringing up their child equally.
But what happens when the divorce is not amicable?
Your ex may be bitter enough about the split to be unreasonable about who gets the child. She may accuse you of being unfit to take care of him or her. In worst cases, you may be unfairly accused of child abuse. The court is also likely to give her the benefit of the doubt. Given the present child abuse scenario, the court will do anything to protect your child from further disputes. Since the father is not considered the primary care giver, there may be an automatic bias in favor of the mother.
If the parents have been unable to come to an amicable agreement at the end of the custody battle, the judge will usually let the mother’s residence be the primary one. The father gets to have the child over for a specific number of hours, maybe every alternate weekend or so. This time varies from state to state.
But as a father who knows he can provide his child with a loving home, what happens if you want to see your child more than just a few hours in a week? You will either need to win the custody battle, or come to an agreement with your ex.
If you decide to fight the custody battle to win, you will need an experienced lawyer whom you trust to win it for you. It can be difficult for you to have to prove you are a loving father, when you know you are.
First, the court will ask you to try and mediate. They want to protect the child from as much of the trauma as possible. If you don’t get your own private mediator, the court will appoint one for you. If you are reasonable and eager to come to a decision, then your mediator will be more likely to come to a decision.
However if mediation doesn’t work to give you the time that you think you should have with your child, you will need the help of a father’s rights attorney.Las Vegas has many professionals that you can consider calling. But remember that whatever decision you come to, your child is at the center of it all. Weigh your decision against the welfare of your child. Don’t forget that both you and your ex want the best for your child.
