As a father, you may have no rights to your child if you are not the spouse of the mother. Even worse, if the mother is in a marriage with someone else, that man has parental rights over your child, and you do not.

These are just the start of the reasons why you need to establish your legal rights to your child as soon as possible.

Secure position

Establishing your parental rights will allow you to secure your legal position as the child’s father. With this comes the ability to make decisions about and for your child. It also gives you the right to parenting time with your child. Without establishing your parental rights, you could be at the mercy of the mother and potentially her spouse.

Protect your child

Being a legal parent also allows you to protect your child. You have the ability to speak out about situations and issues you feel are not beneficial to your child. You get the ability to go to court and ask for more time-sharing or to get full custody of your child if the situation requires it.

Provide peace of mind

Having legal custody established will help you have a more solid legal standing, giving you peace of mind. If there are issues, you have the legal ability to stand up for your child and for your rights. Without proper parental rights, you have little power or say.

You can establish parental rights and should do so right after your child is born. You want to make sure you have that legal right in place moving forward to avoid the mother controlling everything about your child and the relationship you have with that child.