Read the provisions of 61.13(3) to see what you are up against. This is how people are supposed to get along with the other parent and their child, and you cannot go into court and just say you don’t want the father to be in your child’s life. This statute is made to apply in paternity proceedings by the case law. There are many factors that will work for you, and many that can work against you, depending upon what you say and do. Get counsel.

Unfortunately, at the moment, you do not have any “rights” to the children because you were not married at the time of their births. You would have to file a Petition to Establish Paternity, and the court would then lay out a parenting plan for you.

In a divorce, child custody should be determined according to what is in the best interest of the child. More and more judges are now ordering 50/50 timesharing arrangements.

Courts begin with the assumption that it is best for a child to have ongoing and frequent contact with both parents. Only if the court finds that a parent poses a threat to a child’s welfare will this assumption be altered. Even where there has been abuse or neglect, courts will often impose limits on contact, such as ordering that visits be supervised, rather than cutting off all contact.