Asserting Your Rights as a Father

Another aspect of father's rights in child maintenance is to collect it himself should he be the custodial parent. There are many fathers that automatically assume the mother will be granted full custody of the children so they do not fight. If you have any reason to believe that your spouse is not equipped to handle the children, it is your right as the birth father to take matters into your own hands. Your best advice is to remain as willing to communicate as possible and avoid moving out of state during custody hearings. There are many fathers who pay child support only to have their ex move the children out of state. Because this is so common, your father's rights have been safeguarded by federal laws which require a parent to meet several guidelines before just moving a child away from you. Again, you must continue your payment schedule.

If you are having problems asserting your fathers rights in child custody situations or feel that your child's mother is breaching the contract, it may be a good idea to hire a child support attorney to work with the two of you. Attorneys strongly recommend that fathers maintain accurate records and paper trails of all child support paid (or received) and that no blasé agreements are entered into without court intervention and documentation. This is a simple way to protect your self and with the help of a mediator can produce binding changes to child support, custody or visitation rights. It is common practice for the mediator to be called upon by the Judge to offer recommendations based on their impartial experiences with you and your child's mother.