Legal Question in Family Law in Mississippi

Re: Child visitation

You don't have to agree to the father's proposal for a name change and summer visitation, and the courts should not find it in the child's best interest to change his last name to something different from yours. Once you marry though the father has a stronger argument for changing the child's last name.

Regarding visitation, all courts will require what they believe is reasonable visitation under the circumstances. It doesn't make sense to deny visitation because the father has not shown a lot of interest in the past. It makes sense to encourage the father to establish a stronger relationship with the child since he will have to help support and raise him for the next 20 years. On the other hand, if your objective is to have your fiance adopt the child once you are married, it would make sense to tell the father your intentions after you marry so he can assess what he thinks is best for the child. If he opposes the adoption, don't sabotage his contacts with the child. You will only strenghten his resolve to resist the adoption just to spite you. Instead, give him opportunity to tire of the burdens of child support and coordination, and the costs of visitation transportation. If he doesn't tire, that's ok because your child will be essentially raised by his stepfather and you, and the birth father will be giving the child the gift of having a third parent to enrich his life.