Legal Question in Family Law in Ohio

child custody and the courts

I have a 9 yr old son from a prior relationship. We were never married and the mother was not yet 18 when our son was born. The mother and I have never gone through the courts for child support or custody. We went through an agency for the support. I have my son about half the time so I suggested to her that we should do a ''Shared parenting Agreement'' and submit it to the court to make it legal. She said ''Absolutely No''!! She said that when you go through the court for custody matters that the child then becomes a ''ward of the court'' until the custody is judged and finalized. Obviously I know that they will not take the child out of the home for any reason, but is that true that he would become a ''ward of the court'' first. I'm thinking about getting a lawyer to get some custodial rights to protect myself from future conflicts involving my son. She has decided to go back to school, on top of a full time job, I thought Shared Parenting was a great compromise for the two of us. My son did live with me about a year and a half ago for almost a year when she went to school before. He wants to live with me too. So is the ''ward of the court statement true? Where do I go from here? I just want something mutually agreed upon!!


Asked on 1/07/08, 8:13 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Nancy Fioritto Patete Nancy Fioritto Patete, Esq.

Re: child custody and the courts

It's not clear what she means by 'ward of the court.' The child would not be taken from either parent. Pursuing a court-approved shared parenting plan is a wise thing to do.

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Answered on 1/08/08, 2:03 pm


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