What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? IL/ Cook
Hello! My child's father was absent for the first 8 mos of our son's life (now 15 mos). He reached out claiming he wanted to be a part of his life, but after only a few weeks started seeing our son infrequently and after only a couple months basically not at all. After one 6 week period of not seeing him and ignoring me when I asked what was going on he finally insisted on seeing him and said I was keeping our son from him. That has never been the case but he initially agreed to see our son in my home until we felt he was somewhat comfortable with him which now I don't think is the case. He wants me to instead drop him off at his mother's and pick him up from there. I would agree to this except he has become verbally abusive calling me names and cursing and even as far as today texting he should just tell his kids (referring also to his two older children with an ex-wife) he didn't "love them hoes so they took it out on you" and other other foul things. He is a different person to me and I feel between his flakiness (not even showing up when he was supposed to), suggesting he say such things to his children and this constant combatitve attitude it has me wondering if it's not in my son's best interests to even try anymore? I have agreed to drop off our son for an hour and half to his father by his mother's as another attempt for them to get aquainted but I am thinking this may have been a poor decisoion. But I was concerned with him taking me to court for visitation and getting visits completely unsupurvised for much longer periods. He is not on the birth certificate and kept dodging filling out a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity though he acknowledged the paternity and has child support paid weekly via his employer (but currently in default for the back support for the past year he paid nothing and failed to appear at a hearing regarding this). Do I have a leg to stand on? Can or is it in my and my son's best interests to make him file for visitation instead? Would an attorney be able to help me get a "step-up" plan or is that a pipe dream?
Hello! My child's father was absent for the first 8 mos of our son's life (now 15 mos). He reached out claiming he wanted to be a part of his life, but after only a few weeks started seeing our son infrequently and after only a couple months basically not at all. After one 6 week period of not seeing him and ignoring me when I asked what was going on he finally insisted on seeing him and said I was keeping our son from him. That has never been the case but he initially agreed to see our son in my home until we felt he was somewhat comfortable with him which now I don't think is the case. He wants me to instead drop him off at his mother's and pick him up from there. I would agree to this except he has become verbally abusive calling me names and cursing and even as far as today texting he should just tell his kids (referring also to his two older children with an ex-wife) he didn't "love them hoes so they took it out on you" and other other foul things. He is a different person to me and I feel between his flakiness (not even showing up when he was supposed to), suggesting he say such things to his children and this constant combatitve attitude it has me wondering if it's not in my son's best interests to even try anymore? I have agreed to drop off our son for an hour and half to his father by his mother's as another attempt for them to get aquainted but I am thinking this may have been a poor decisoion. But I was concerned with him taking me to court for visitation and getting visits completely unsupurvised for much longer periods. He is not on the birth certificate and kept dodging filling out a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity though he acknowledged the paternity and has child support paid weekly via his employer (but currently in default for the back support for the past year he paid nothing and failed to appear at a hearing regarding this). Do I have a leg to stand on? Can or is it in my and my son's best interests to make him file for visitation instead? Would an attorney be able to help me get a "step-up" plan or is that a pipe dream?