Saint Paul Family Law Blog

As a father in Minnesota, you have certain rights as a parent. Outside of these rights, you also have responsibilities, such as continuing to help care for a child in the event of a divorce. This is where paternity fraud can come in and affect your life. But what exactly is paternity fraud?

The National Institutes of Health have taken a look at paternity fraud, which is considered by some to be a mild epidemic in America currently. Paternity fraud is, in essence, the false claim that you are the father of a child when you aren't. This is usually done by a mother in the event of a divorce in which child support payments are to be made. Under law, only the legal father of a child is obligated to pay child support. Thus, in order to secure that money, it's possible for the mother to lie about paternity status. It's also possible for paternity fraud to occur unintentionally, if the mother genuinely does not know you aren't the father.

When children have to go through their parents' divorce, it's hard on them. They have to deal with the stress of the situation, and they may not yet have the tools to do so effectively. During divorces, children often lash out or act differently than normal, and that is largely due to the changes radically altering the lives they knew.

Every divorce is different, just as every person going through one will have different experiences. Here are a few things to do if you want to help your child get through a divorce more easily.

Couples in Minnesota who are separated or divorced but share children together know how challenging it can be to coparent under normal circumstances. When the holiday season rolls around, the challenges can increase. However, this time of year offers great benefits to those moms and dads who are willing to engage in active coparenting. 

As explained by Psychology Today, one important thing for parents to work on is how they will share or split time with their joint children throughout the holiday season. It is equally important that they not focus solely on splitting time, however. There are numerous traditions that they may need to share as well. For example, one parent might take the kids caroling and the other takes them to see Santa Claus at the local mall. When it comes to time and traditions, allowing children to have input can be appropriate based on their ages but parents should not put the onus on children to make the final decisions. 

As a Minnesota father who is no longer romantically involved with the mother of your child, you may find that the demise of your romantic relationship has made it more difficult to regularly engage with your son or daughter. Despite the difficulty, however, maintaining an active presence in your child’s life can have a considerable and positive effect on his or her development, growth and happiness. Therefore, it is important that you work to break down the barriers that are preventing you and your child from spending time together. At Huson Law Firm, PLLC, we recognize the critical role fathers play in their children’s lives, and we have helped many fathers looking to spend more time with their kids pursue solutions that meet their needs.

According to Parenting, your active presence in your son or daughter’s life has the capacity to affect everything from his or her performance in school to his or her future romantic relationships. Additionally, the time you spend with your child does not have to include big trips or considerable expenses to make a difference – on the contrary, simple day-to-day activities, such as taking walks or eating meals together, may have the biggest impact on your child’s growth and development.