child custody

[fatherindistress]

Hello,
      I am new to the site and I need help with trying to get 50% custody of my child. I do not want to take our son away from my girlfriend, I just want to be able to see my son.Can somebody help me. we are not married and we do not live together.

[Ref]

Sorry to hear about your situation. I think some more information might be helpful.

1. Who does your son live with and how much time do you and his mom spend time with him?

2. What state are you in?

3. Did you have paternity established?

4. How old is your son?

If he doesn't live with you, I would push to see him as much as possible. Have him spend lots of overnights, go to his school and meet his teachers (if he is in daycare, do the same). Get to know all of his doctors and know his medical history. Make sure you have a safe and clean place for your son to stay when he is with you. Don't drink too much, do drugs or get into any other trouble. Take a parenting class. (courts often order this when they order the parenting plan anyway) Do this before you file for anything, if you can for a couple of months.

Also, realize that you will undoubtably be sued for child support and things will get nasty once you start the legal process, so try and be a little stealthy. Figure out how much you will owe in support a month by doing some research on your state rules so that you are not taken by surprise.

Additionally, as an unwed father, she can keep that child from you until you get it in writing that you have those rights. DON'T PISS HER OFF! Be very careful. Don't let her move away from you either, that happened to DH and you CAN stop her.

Good luck
Red