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Father and Child Custody

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When a couple decides to divorce, each person wants to retain the sole custody of their children due to a variety of reasons such as distrust, anger and an effort to punish their spouse for wrecking the marriage. As a result, they are unable to reach a common consensus on the issue and the matter is left to the court’s decision.

Decisions Influencing Child Custody

When the couple is not able to reach a mutual agreement on the custody of the child, the court takes a decision based on what is best for the child. Before awarding the custody of a child to a parent, the court needs to be convinced that his or her contribution is inevitable for healthy upbringing of the child. Also, when the court is convinced that one of the parents is unfit to take care of the child, it can go ahead to provide the custody to the other parent.

Fathers and Child Custody

It is a common knowledge that there is a high probability of a mother winning the custody of a child rather than a father. However, this is not the case always. In a number of divorce cases these days, fathers are granted the custody of children too.

Let us discuss a few of the scenarios where a father is awarded the custody of a child, where the mother is considered unfit to for the role:

1. Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

When a mother is found to be an alcoholic or addicted to drugs, she might be pronounced unfit for healthy upbringing of the child and the father stands a fair chance of winning the child custody. Sometimes, the court might direct the mother to avoid taking drugs and alcohol in the presence of the child. They might also advise the mother to take up rehabilitation programs and regular tests for drugs and alcohol, to check if she has broken off the habit. Only then would the visitation rights be granted to the mother.

2. Abandonment

It is not uncommon to come across situations where a mother is ready to abandon her child in order for her to start a new life. She considers her child as a hindrance to a new marriage. In these cases, she might voluntarily grant the custody to the father or the court might order the child custody to the father after her desertion.

Sometimes, a mother neglects the duties towards her child and becomes more occupied with her own problems and interests. When the father can prove that the child’s interests have been neglected, the custody is awarded to the father.

3. History of Child Abuse

If the mother has a history of abusing the child physically, emotionally or sexually, she is considered dangerous for the well-being of the child and the custody is granted to the father. The mother might be granted supervised visitations in these cases where she can meet her child only in the presence of the father.

4. Insanity

When the mother is proved to be mentally unfit or insane, she might not be able to provide a healthy and happy atmosphere for the child to grow up. In these cases, the custody of the child is awarded to the father.

5. Spending Time in Jail

When the mother is accused of a crime and is serving a sentence in the jail, the custody of the child is granted to the father.

6. House-Husbands

In recent times, the father has been awarded the custody of the child, when he was acting as a ‘house-husband’ and primary caretaker of the child, while the mother went to work. In these cases, the children were found to be emotionally attached to the father and hence the decision was made based upon the best interest of the child.

The Final Word

Despite these special case scenarios, mothers seem to win the custody of the child in most of the cases. There still exists a notion that a mother is the best person for a child to grow up with. However, various findings have shown that contribution of both mother and father is equally required for the upbringing of a child. There are various support groups who are fighting for the equality of the fathers.

So, if the parents decide to divorce, they need to place the interest of their children above their personal differences and jointly contribute towards bringing up their children. Only this can ensure a happy present and a prosperous future for your children.

About the Author

Author: jameswalsh | Total views: 112
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Spanish taslation

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you would like more information on how to get a quickie Divorce see http://www.quickie-divorce.com




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