How can a devoted father establish paternity?

The role of a father can be a crucial one when it comes to a child’s development, safety and happiness. Children who have positive relationships with their fathers tend to have better outcomes as they mature. Unfortunately, many men may find themselves struggling to stay actively involved in the lives of their children.

The end of the relationship between the father and the mother of the children can lead to custody disputes and even parental alienation. Fathers who don’t know and assert their rights can suffer damage to the relationship that they have with their children.

For a man to make full use of his parental rights, he typically first needs to establish paternity. How can a father establish paternity so that he can request parental rights and responsibilities?

By marrying the mother

The simplest way to establish paternity is through a legal relationship with the mother of a child. There is a presumption of paternity that applies to a child conceived or born during a marriage. A married father can typically assume that the hospital should include his name on the birth certificate automatically.

By cooperating with the mother

A man does not have to marry the mother of his child for her to acknowledge his paternity. She may agree to fill out voluntary paperwork after the birth of the child to add the father’s name to the original birth certificate. The parents could also reach an agreement to acknowledge his paternity after the birth while the child is still a minor. Parents can mutually agree to fill out paternity acknowledgment paperwork and submit it to the state. Those documents can then lead to the revision of the birth certificate to include the father’s name.

By going to family court

If a mother does not want to acknowledge the unmarried father of her child, then he may need to take the matter to family court. A judge can potentially order paternity testing. Genetic paternity testing is not invasive and has a very high rate of overall accuracy. If the test results show that the man is the father of the child, the state can update the birth certificate to add him as the father. He can then initiate family court proceedings in pursuit of custody. A father who establishes paternity can ask for both parenting time and decision-making authority.

Although establishing paternity and seeking custody can sometimes require difficult conversations and patience if there isn’t a mutual agreement between parents, it can be beneficial for both father and child. Men who establish paternity can play active roles in the lives of their children.