Caring for a Child Transcends Marital Status
Having a child out of wedlock is more of a legal consideration than a social one these days, as single and unmarried parenting has become common in society. The complexities of marriage don’t enter such parenting situations, but legal ramifications can be significant, especially if the relationship between the parents is not stable and amicable.
Establishing Paternity Can be an Issue
One legal benefit of marriage is the usual presumption that the husband is the father of any children born to the marriage. For children born out of wedlock, the father may voluntarily acknowledge his parenthood, or it may be up to the mother to pursue proof and legal recognition of a man’s role in the child’s birth. Without either acknowledgment or legal proof of fatherhood, consistent child support contributions may be difficult to obtain.
Child Custody Questions
The dissolution of a marriage includes the resolution of child custody issues as part of the process. When the partners are not married, the question of legal paternity arises for custody as it does for support. This can complicate not only care of the child shared between the parents, but the role of other family members should something happen to the father or mother. Death, incarceration and other unexpected events can leave the child’s status in limbo, and even lead to the involvement of the foster care system.
Unmarried Couples and Singles Managing a Family
The impact of family law on parents of children in Troy, Illinois can require the advice and assistance of legal professionals. The parents will need to prepare for the child’s current and future needs, identify the roles of the father and mother in the child’s life especially if they are not living together, and allow the parents to have clear rights in the eyes of the legal, educational, and healthcare systems. Legal assistance may be needed if either parent chooses to marry another person, relocate to another state, or change their role in the child’s life for another reason.
Creating the Legal Effects of Marriage for Unmarried Parents
The legal solution for those having children out of wedlock is basically creating a set of legal agreements and definitions which are substituted for those which are defined by default in the context of marriage. Married parents have the luxury of assumptions that unmarried parents cannot make without proper assistance.