If the father decides later to stop paying voluntarily, the unmarried mother cannot do anything. Rights of unmarried fathers Legally, the unmarried father faces an uphill battle in trying to gain access to his child. This is because he does not have the automatic right to spend time with his child compared to a married father. com if you need more and updated pieces of information regarding the child custody laws of the state that you belong to.) Aside from reading books and visiting online sites that offer free information on child custody cases, it would be advisable to talk to somebody an immediate family member, a friend or a neighbor who went through the same things. Now, if the court asks you why you deserve the custody of your children, you can confidently tell the judge that as a parent, you always make sure that your schedule works. Prove why the other parent should not have custody of your children. Keep track if your ex-spouse is involved with your children and is flexible and on time with the schedule. All one needs to do is to gather enough willpower to face his or her fear and the willingness to overcome that fear no matter what it takes. Road to recovery The first thing that parents who has lost custody of their kids is to accept that it happened. Next is to accept that their feeling of anger, depression and anxiety are all valid feelings. The only problem with legal custody is that conflicts and misunderstandings may arise when the upbringing principles of parents clash. This conflict can be detrimental to their child. Sole Custody As the term suggests, sole custody gives custodial rights to only one parent while the other parent s rights is limited only to visiting the child. The court determines it based on various factors such as the main caretaker of the child, the wishes of the child, the home environment of each parent, the willingness of a parent to nurture a good relationship with the other parent, the character and behavior of each parent, and any case of abuse or neglect of each parent in the past.