Kentucky law generally allows a divorce parent to have a relationship with their child assuming that it is in the child’s best interest. As a general rule, the parent’s gender is not a reason to deny custody or visitation rights. Therefore, the fact that you are a father does not preclude you from being there for your child if you want to play an active role in their life.
What the court typically looks for
When making a custody or visitation order, a judge will want to see evidence of a strong bond between the parent and child. You may be able to prove that such a bond exists by keeping records of each time you called, texted or sent an email to your child. You can also keep records of everything that you bought for your dependent as well as photos or video footage of time spent in person with your offspring.
Other issues a court might consider
If you have a substance abuse issue, you’ll likely need to address it before obtaining unsupervised rights to your kids. The same is true if you have a history of domestic abuse or if you live in a home or part of town that is not suitable for children. Although a divorce judge may prefer that you have a job, your employment status and income won’t automatically deny you an opportunity to see your kids on a regular basis.
Be civil to your former partner
A judge may also be more amenable to awarding custody or visitation rights to someone who gets along with the child’s other parent. Although you don’t need to be best friends with your former partner, you should be able to have civil conversations and otherwise work toward making decisions that benefit the child.