To ensure that children will have the ongoing love and support they need, it may sometimes be necessary to establish legal parent/child relationships. For mothers, this usually will not be necessary, since at the time of a child's birth, the mother will be recognized as the child's parent and listed on the birth certificate. However, a father may not always be officially recognized as a parent, and it may be necessary to establish paternity.

Paternity Establishment When Parents Are Unmarried

There are some cases where the law presumes that a man is a child's father. These include situations where a mother and father are married to each other, as well as cases where parents were formerly married within a short period before a child was born. That is, if a couple got a divorce or had their marriage annulled, or if the marriage ended when the husband died, the man will be presumed to be the father of the mother's child if they were still married at any time during the 300 days before the child's birth.

Paternity may also be presumed if a couple took certain steps recognizing that a man was the child's father. If a couple was married after the child was born, and the husband asserted parenthood, was listed on the child's birth certificate, or made a written commitment to support the child as his own, the man will be presumed to be the father of the child. If an unmarried couple chose to remain unmarried, but they lived together with their child between when the child was born and turned two years old, and the man stated to others that he was the child's father, he will be presumed to be a parent.

Nothing is more important than your child’s welfare. If your marriage has broken down, if you have separated from your partner, or if you are no longer in a relationship with your child's other parent, you will want to ensure that you will be able to continue to provide the love, support, and care your child needs. During a divorce or family law case, you may be uncertain about how issues related to child custody will be handled. Based on the circumstances of your case, you may believe that you should have sole custody of your child. However, it is important to understand when this type of custody may be possible and the factors that courts will consider when making decisions about custody arrangements.

Understanding Conservatorship in Texas Family Law Cases

Child custody is often broken down into two components: legal custody and physical custody. In Texas, legal custody is known as conservatorship, and it involves the right to make decisions about how a child will be raised, including the medical treatments they will receive, where they will attend school, and where they will primarily live. In most cases, courts prefer to put joint managing conservatorship arrangements in place, giving both parents a say in how their children will be raised. In fact, Texas law presumes that joint managing conservatorship is in the best interest of the child.

However, joint managing conservatorship may not be appropriate in some situations, and a parent may argue that it would not be in the child's best interests. A parent's history of domestic violence may be a reason why joint custody arrangements should not be put in place. Other situations where sole custody may be appropriate may include when a parent is absent or incarcerated in prison or when the level of conflict between parents makes it impossible for them to cooperate in making decisions for their children.

For married parents going through a divorce in the state of Texas, as well as unmarried parents who expect to share custody of one or more children, child support will be an important aspect of the proceedings. Most of the time, one parent will be responsible for paying monthly child support to the other parent to help cover the costs associated with raising the couple's children. However, parents may be unsure about what expenses are actually covered by child support. By understanding how Texas' laws affect these cases, parents can make sure their children will have the necessary financial resources.

Expenses Included in Child Support

Under the Texas Family Code, child support is determined by taking a percentage of the paying parent's "net resources," which consist of all sources of income they receive minus certain types of taxes and mandatory expenses such as union dues. When children live primarily with one parent, the other parent will be responsible for paying child support. These support payments may address child-related expenses such as:

• Living Expenses - These may include any expenses associated with caring for children, such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, groceries, clothing, diapers, and other household items that may be needed on a regular basis.

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Grandparents frequently play a major role in their grandchildren’s lives. This can be especially true when one or both of a child’s parents struggle to maintain a positive parental presence due to criminal behavior, drug abuse, neglect or abuse, or even death. In difficult situations like this, a grandparent’s presence and influence can be an invaluable support system for a child who needs guidance and love.

If this sounds familiar to you, you may be relieved to learn that, in certain situations, grandparents in Texas can petition a court to get visitation rights for their child. If a court awards a grandparent visitation rights, that visitation is enforceable just as it would be for a parent. To learn more, read on and then contact a Galveston grandparents’ rights attorney. 

When Can a Grandparent Get Visitation of a Grandchild in Texas? 

Although grandparents often have good ideas about how to raise children born out of years of experience, differing opinions from a child’s parent or a strong relationship with a child are not sufficient by themselves for a grandparent to be awarded visitation. Before a court can hear a case authorizing grandparent visitation, one of the following must be true: 

Texas law and culture encourage parents who are getting divorced to continue co-parenting as peaceably as possible. This means working as a team to raise minor children, despite the divorce and any personal differences between the parents. While this may not be easy, a firm commitment to co-parenting yields better-adjusted kids and less stressed parents, making the payoff substantial for everyone. Here are some things to include in your Texas parenting plan, or possession order, as you start the co-parenting journey together. 

Texas Parenting Plan Requirements

Certain things are nice to have in your parenting plan, but other things are essential. Things that you must have in your parenting plan include: 

• Whether one or both parents will be managing conservators or possessory conservators. Managing conservators have the authority to make important decisions regarding healthcare, education, etc. for the children; possessory conservators have the authority to spend visitation time with the children

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