Fathers' Rights refers to the legal rights and allowances that a father has with respect to his children. In courts, many fathers find themselves getting the short end of the stick on alimony and child support, custody rights and visitation because of the stigma attached to the deadbeat dad. Most fathers want to do right by their children, but need the time and the resources to be able to do so.
Custody Matters
Full custody rights are usually not granted to fathers---in fact, fewer than ten percent of fathers are awarded custody of children following divorces. Mediation often helps families come to an agreement on custody. When a father is granted custody rights, he might be concerned when a mother seeks custody at some point down the line. Establishing paternity is important in such cases. Once paternity has been definitely determined, custody reversal will be difficult for mothers seeking full custody. In most states, fathers have the right to retain custody of children if granted by a court order, although allowances for visitation must be made until the custody agreement runs out.
Child Support
In most cases, when mothers are afforded custody of children, fathers must pay child support. What many fathers do not know is that they often have the right to child support payments when they are granted custody as well. In fact, the courts may require payments to be made to take care of food, clothing, shelter, education costs and health care for children. Many factors weigh in to how much child support must be paid to fathers, such as the home-care situation of the children and the financial state of the family.
Alimony
Fathers who will experience financial difficulty as the result of a divorce may be awarded alimony payments as a part of a divorce settlement. Alimony payments are essentially financial assistance to fathers and mothers whose divorce will cause financial hardship, which may result in the inability to properly care for and nurture growing children. While fathers may have the right to alimony in a court of law, many states award alimony at the discretion of judges, unlike with child support, which often must be awarded.
Tags: father, rights, child support, custody children, custody rights, have right, fathers have, fathers have right, granted custody, many fathers
