To be out of your kids’ lives for any point in time can be difficult. If your former spouse consistently held visitation or if you were unable to see your children for any reason, it doesn’t mean that you can no longer see them. You still have parental rights to your kids, regardless of visitation.
Parental rights are important in the sense that they grant parents the ability to provide for their children, make decisions about their children’s well-being, and set limits on what other people can do with or around them. If you are a parent who has been accused of neglecting your parental responsibilities, violating child custody orders, or not paying child support payments it is important to hire an experienced family lawyer like Attorney Bernie who knows how to uphold parental rights under these circumstances.
What Are Your Parental Rights?
Biological parents have the right to custody of their children and can also make legal decisions on behalf of their children. Most states recognize that parents still have rights to their children, regardless of involvement in their life. Your parental rights should include your ability to make decisions for your child’s healthcare, your decisions in where the child lives, goes to school, and how the child is raised religiously.
The future of your children’s upbringing is in jeopardy if you’re struggling to keep custody. It’s important that you find a car family lawyer who can help protect the rights of both parents and ensure that visitation rights are enforced. A family lawyer, like our friend at Attorney Bernie, can assist you on making a custody decision for your family.
What Happens If You Don’t Uphold Your Duties?
All parents are supposed to perform their duties according to their children. You have the duty to care and to provide for your child. This includes physical and emotional needs and providing food, shelter, medical care, and financial needs.
If you do not uphold these duties, the other biological parent could accuse you of not being present in the child’s life and may try to revoke your parental rights. Absent parents can lose their rights if the other biological parent speaks up.
What If You Want To Be in Your Child’s Life?
In some cases, the other biological parent may try to withhold visitation. If you have no seen your children in years because your ex-spouse is keeping them from you, he or she is violating your parental rights. If you are being kept from your children, you should report it as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may look as though you abandoned your children.
Some states allow you to go straight to the police to uphold a parental agreement. Other times, you may have to go to court to enforce your rights over your children. Having a lawyer can help you fight every step of the way.
If you haven’t seen your child in years but want to be back in his or her life, consult with a child custody lawyer as soon as possible. The years between visits between you and your children could be used against you by your former spouse. A family lawyer will help fight against any arguments to ensure that you see your children again. You can obtain visitation again.