Last week this Arizona family law blog discussed the divorce of two famous musicians. Pursuant to their child custody agreement the parents will share custody of their three children, though due to the mother’s work schedule the father will receive more time with their boys under his physical care. In the past, it always seemed that mothers were favored in terms of receiving physical custody of children after a divorce, but due to changing family structures and the role of women in the workforce, this presumption is beginning to fade.
Fathers have rights to be with their children. Whether their children were born during a marriage or outside of a legally recognized union, fathers can advocate for time with their children and rights to be responsible for their care. Whether this is through custody or visitation, fathers are generally entitled to maintain their parent-child relationships even after their affiliations with the children’s mothers end.
The time that a father has with his children may also be protected from interference or harm. When a child’s other parent attempts to lessen the duration or quality of time that a father has with his children, that other parent may be engaging in parental interference tactics. Parental interference can include, but is not limited to, failing to deliver a child to a father for visitation, being late to drop a child off at a scheduled custody change or speaking ill of a father to a child to such an extent that a child no longer wants to spend time with the father.
Having time with both a mother and father is often in the best interests of the child. As such, fathers have rights to preserve the important time that their family law courts have established for them to spend with their kids. Individuals who need assistance advocating for fathers’ rights may find support from local family law attorneys who practice in Phoenix.
