Are being prevented from being the engaged dad you want to be?

Time and again we see fathers pushed to the sidelines of their children’s lives. In many of these instances, these fathers simply don’t know what to do to remedy the situation. They may even be led to think that they aren’t all that important in their child’s life. While any parent who is dangerous or poses some other risk to a child’s well-being may not be fit for extensive involvement in a child’s life, an active and engaged father can play a powerful role.

The importance of an active father

The benefits of having a father in a child’s life are extensive and backed by scientific research. Studies have found that children who have an active and engaged father were less likely to engage in risky behavior and become incarcerated, and they more likely to have well-paying careers and healthy, stable relationships with others. Some studies even show that these children tend to have higher intelligence scores. Children with an active father in their life are also less likely to suffer psychological problems.

Fighting to be the dad you deserve to be

Playing that integral role in your child’s life isn’t automatic. In fact, in many cases, primary physical custody is presumed to rest with the child’s mother, and parenting time can only be sought after divorce or once paternity has been established. Even then you can face a significant amount of pushback from a mother who wants to keep you out of your child’s life. Don’t let that happen. Instead, do what you need to do to protect your rights as a father and ensure that your child has the dad that he or she needs.

Of course, that oftentimes means taking legal action, which can be daunting in its own right. But you don’t have to face these challenges on your own. Instead, you can work closely with a skilled family law team that knows how to advocate for outcomes that are just. If you’d like to learn more about that, then consider reaching out to a firm like ours to discuss the matter further.