What if I Do Not Want Custody of My Child? 

 Posted on July 15, 2021 in Child Custody

Although some parents will act aggressively to get full parental responsibilities for their children, others feel differently. You may not want full or even partial custody of your child for a number of reasons. Your job, your children from a previous relationship, your desire for privacy, or your feelings that you are not equipped to provide the care your child needs are all possible reasons for wanting your child’s other parent to have the majority of the childcare responsibilities.

What is Best for the Child?

Whether during divorce proceedings or when establishing parental responsibilities between unmarried parents, the court will make decisions according to what is in the best interests of the child. The court also takes the preferences of the parents and the child into account. If you do not want custody of your child at all, the court will most likely award full custody to the child’s other parent.

You must also consider the long-term impact of the lack of a close relationship with your child on your child’s mental health and wellness. Children often do best when they have both parents in their lives, and although you may not be in a position where you feel you can adequately parent now, that may change later on. It can be difficult to modify existing custody orders, and it may be much harder to get custody or visitation rights in the future.

What Would be the Impact on Child Support?

Even if you want to avoid custodial responsibilities because a child was conceived out of wedlock, or because you feel no emotional attachment to a child, you are still responsible under Illinois law to pay your share of child support. You cannot waive child support in a prenuptial agreement or any other type of agreement with the other parent, and your ex cannot typically decide just not to collect it.

If you want to have partial custody or visitation rights only, you can expect your monthly child support payments to be higher than if you had a larger share of the parental responsibilities. Child support in Illinois is calculated using a standard formula that accounts for each parent’s share of parenting time. If your child is rarely or never with you, their other parent will incur the vast majority of the expenses, and your child support obligations will reflect that.

Contact a Kane County Child Custody Attorney

Matters of child custody can be complex and difficult to resolve. If you are getting divorced or seeking a change in the allocation of parental responsibilities, you should speak with a St. Charles child custody attorney. The lawyers at Goostree Law Group are experienced in these issues and will act assertively on your behalf. Call us today at 630-584-4800 for a free, confidential consultation.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=075000050HPt%2E+VI&ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=8675000&SeqEnd=12200000