How hard would it be for me to get full custody?

Question

I got pregnant in april of 07. The father of my child was not around for any of my pregnancy or even after she as born..shell be 7 months old next week and hes probably seen her about a total of 5 times. He claims he wants to be in her life and what not but i truly believe that hes only trying to use her to hurt me. He has a gf who is absolutely insane and she has a 3 yr old that doesnt live with her and apparently she gave temp custody away to her aunt when the child was born..thats a whole nother story but it makes no sense...i have reason to believe that the state took her child away from her and shes trying to act like they didnt...the father of my child has a 7 ft boa constrictor, 3 other smaller snakes..2 pit bulls, a cat, fish, and im not sure if theres ne more animals or not, but his house if filthy and he never cleans it. His gf and him throw parties there all the time [[not to mention shes a minor and so are most of the people that go over there]]. My daughter is the happiest baby ever! Shes very secure and very much loved. I NEVER leave her unless its to go to school or work and when i do, my mom babysits for me. I really feel that its in her best interest for him to not see her and for me to be awarded full custody. I dont even care if that means he wont pay child support. Id rather be broke the rest of my life than my daughter be in an unfit enviornment. How hard would it be for me to get full custody? Would all of what i mentioned be enough for the courts to see that i am a single mother who is 20 yrs old and doing everything in my power to keep her happy and safe?

Answer 1

Well, if he lives a life like you are explaining, it won't be hard. Get proof. Do what you can to prove that he and his gf would be unfit to have your daughter. You sound like a very determined mother who has the best interest of your child at heart. If you go to his house, take pictures and do it inconspicuous if you can. Do whatever you can do in order to convince the judge and the attorney general that your daughter would be in an unsafe invironment with he and his gf. Take time. Look into things deeper, so that when it comes down to it. They will see that you know what your talking about.

Answer 2

All I can stress is DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT. Get facts on the GF, get pics of the house, get proof of the dogs. I was told to write EVERY DAY down in a journal whether I had contact w/ the bio dad or not. They need to see how consistent/inconsistent he is.

Prob is MOST states give dad the benefit of the doubt until something goes wrong - it's fair...but when we moms know there's trouble it doesn't seem that way.

Document. Get a lawyer. Good luck.

Answer 3

The way I look at it from my point of view is that from what you said about his home life I honestly don't see any experienced judge in his/her right mind would put a 7 month old infant into an environment such as his. For one he has dangerous animals, his home is dirty, he's dating a minor whom doesn't have custody of her own child, because of one reason or another. He's more than likely contributing alcohol to minors, not to mention probably partaking in child molestation or sajitory rape depending on how old his gf is.  Just make sure that there is nothing that he can use to point fingers at you or your mom, and you must be able to prove that your care and the importance and safety of your child being with you and not in the environment that he presents as being a direct danger to your child's well being. It is very IMPORTANT that you PROVE that you can provide for your child and that it is in his/her's best interest to be with you her mother.

Answer 4

I suggest you retain an attorney.  

Answer 5

You're the biological mother, so full custody is yours unless you s***w up something terrible to get sent to prison.

You don't need the other details, mothers rarely have much difficulty getting whatever they want in family courts. It doesn't make any difference who his girlfriend is unless they live together.

However if you remember back to April of 2007, it wasn't that long ago that you CHOSE this man to have s*x with, knowing that a child could result. So he must have been alright back then.

Start making better life decisions, for your child's sake.

Answer 6

The pets cant get you full custody, I have a Rott, a cat and a frog and our dog loves our daughter and the other way around.  However in a lot of states the only way the father can sign over his rights is if you have a husband who wants to adopt her.  Your going to have to talk to a lawyer, I mean you have full custody already basicaly.  But like I said I dont know the laws in your state.  Good luck though.

Answer 7

i would contact a free attorney line and ask them about a free consultation reguarding child custody .....

also contact your local sheriffs office and ask them who to speak to about child custody laws, either a desk officer/ deputy or a civil department cleark should help you find a website, phone number or tell you forms you might need to have...

as for child custody, usually courts side with the mother.... just dont do anything crazy, keep a clean record for yourself , love your baby girl and im sure since you sound smart you will be able to find a way to have more time with your daughter than he does... remember you're the mommy, you do know usually what is best for your child, keep her safe.

good luck in seeking your answers

Answer 8

No it would not be hard for you to get full custody of your child because if he did not sign the birth certificate that already gives you full custody and if he did all you need is for to apply and the court will ask for both of you to be there and if he does not show up they will award you full custody. If he does show up make sure to mention his living situation

Answer 9

This is all depends on what state you live in and other factors.  I would definitely seek legal advice if you could.  

Did the father sign the birth certificate or establish paternity? Does he pay child support? Does he have visitation rights through the court?

If all the questions above is no then you already have full custody and he has no claim to this child.  Therefore, to not keep him from his child I would give him the opportunity to know your child through spending time with her at a trusted relatives home (yours or his) or at your home.  If he doesn't like it then tell him to take you to court or change his lifestyle.

If any of the above is true and he has establish paternity that doesn't automatically give him any type of custody (depends on state) but if he has visitation rights through the court you must honor them (unless there is a true danger) until you take him back to court.  

Once in court I would definitely make sure you get full physical and residing custody and supervised visitation (if you can) or at least visitation without the minor g/f around and in a different environment than his home.  

Good luck!

Answer 10

Hi ,get proof and sit on it ,if you go to court right now he may fight it out of spite ,let it go don't let him see the baby out of your care and wait ,if he ever trys for more time or time alone then show your proof ...the snake and dog would only worry me if they were loose and around the baby .The other woman sounds like a real looser ,she should help your case ,if she is unfit to take care of her own child why should she come near yours ...

Answer 11

Well if you guys have to go to court, and you mention all the things that you just said, I'm sure you'll get full custody of your baby. Good luck, my prayers are with you. I know how you feel, I'm kind of in this situation as well.

Answer 12

It is your child's best interest to know BOTH of her parents.

But..I think you should mention this to a social worker or something.

Of course they would probably do a home study and can easily minipulate the situation and "clean up their act".It's worth a shot.