Father Child Custody
Information on Father Child Custody
Divorces can be ugly processes that put great strain on all those involved. Even though the majority of cases that involve children in a divorce end up with the mother being awarded custody there are situations and reasons that the father should be granted custody of the child. Let's take a look at why this would happen and how you can help bolster your care for gaining custody if you are a father who is genuinely interested in the welfare and well-being of the child.
Believe it or not, sometimes divorces are not caused by something the father did. It can very well be the mother of the child has done something to bring the marriage down – cheating on the spouse or deciding that she wants a different life. As a father, you may have a special bond with your child or children and you are afraid that she is going to use them as a pawn in the divorce or otherwise try and prevent you from seeing them. Some father's are concerned, especially in cases involving cheating by the wife, that they cannot provide the stable home in which the children should grow up in. In all of these situations you should fight for your right to custody! Don't be led to believe that you don't have a chance at winning custody!
Let's take an example; this is one that actually played out in real life.
Tom and Helen had been married for 18 years and had a 15 year old child Derrick. Tom worked as a manager of a local store, while Helen was a nurse at a local hospital. In the past year Tom noticed that Helen was spending less and less time with the family. Often she was making up excuses to be gone at night and missing a lot of Derrick's school functions. Soon Tom noticed that Helen was withdrawing lots of money from the checking account.
Based on this information he decided to confront Helen who told Tom that she was having an affair and wanted a divorce. Even before the divorce papers were drawn up Helen was nowhere to be found – soon Tom found himself making sure that Derrick got to school on time, was attending his school affairs and making sure he was being taken care of.
During the divorce trial Tom had hired a child custody detective to investigate just what Helen was up to. To his horror he discovered that Helen was not only involved with another guy but they were doing drugs as well. That explains where a lot of the money went.
Based on this information Tom and his lawyer consulted with Derrick about what he would like to do. Derrick stated he wanted to stay with his dad. They then went before the court with this statement from Derrick. Before the day of the trial Tom's lawyer confronted Helen's lawyer with the detective's information and said that they would not drag this out into court if she agreed to award Tom sole custody. She would not agree to that stipulation and the evidence went before the judge.
The judge granted Tom sole custody based on statements from Derrick and the evidence from the detective. He determined it was in Derrick's best interest to be with Tom who was a stable father figure. It was his determination that Helen, the biological mother, could not provide a stable atmosphere and therefore custody resided with Tom. Helen was ordered to pay child support to Tom and was granted visitation rights.
In this example, you can see one of the many ways that custody can be awarded to the father. The father in many situations has the same best interests of the child at home that the mother does. Indeed, the child should always be consulted (if they are old enough) about what they think of custody rights in any divorce or custody case.