Becoming a father is a huge event in a man’s life. Many men want to be able to raise their children; however, some mothers try to stop men from being able to participate in the child’s life. When that happens, the man might decide that he is going to take the woman to court to get an order that says he can be a part of his child’s life. In some cases, proving paternity is one of the steps that must be taken before a court can issue a child custody order allowing the father to help raise his child.
There are two ways that you can establish paternity in Colorado. One of the options is that you and the child’s mother would have to agree that you are the child’s father. If she is denying that you are the child’s father or if you have any doubt that you are the father, a DNA test is the other option.
We want you to understand what establishing paternity does from a legal standpoint. When paternity is established, you are taking responsibility for the child. This includes helping to raise the child and all aspects related to raising the child. It means that you might be ordered to pay child support or to provide medical insurance for the child.
Once paternity is established and court orders are issued, you must comply with the court order. This means that you will be able to visit or take your child according to the child custody schedule. It also means that you must make all child support payment and provide other forms of support that are ordered.
