Child visitation rights in most states are very similar to one another. Either of the parents may seek custody in court of a child. If the two separated parents cannot decide on who should get custody, then the court will decide who gets the sole custody or if there is place for the joint custody. In the case of joint custody, it is important that you know what your child visitation rights are. There are a number of issues and topics regarding child visitation rights in many states, but by educating yourself you can better understand the system.

In many cases, father visitation rights are a big issue. In the past, father visitation rights were not as good as those for mothers. However, in general, fathers can get custody of their children. Child visitation rights in most states now do not favor one parent over the other as was common in the past. Therefore, not only are the father visitation rights improved, but fathers may actually seek custody in the first place.

In some situations, only supervised visitation may be granted. Visitation rights in most places are such that under supervised visitations, the non-custodial parent may not spend time alone with the child in question. In addition, the non-custodial parent may usually only visit the child at the court determined time and in the court determined place.

It is important to note when child visitation rights in any case may be withheld. The answer is: almost never. Even if the non-custodial parent is not paying his or her child any support, visitation rights may not be denied to that parent. Child visitation rights can only be policed by the courts.

Occasionally there are situations where a custodial parent may deny access to the child by the non-custodial parent. This is illegal, but there is a proper way to handle the situation. The best way is to seek a court order that defines your visitation rights. Violation of such a court order would result in the parent being held in contempt of court.

Although in almost every case, the natural parents will have right of custody, there may be cases where the court finds both parents to be unfit. In these cases, or in ones with exceptional circumstances, a third party may be granted custody of the child. The third party is often a relative or grandparent so that the child is still in his or her family. When such a situation occurs, both parents may still petition the court for visitation rights to the child.

Divorce is almost always a very tough and stressful event in the lives of anyone. For a child, it can be that much harder. Once a parent or third party has gained custody of the child from the courts, the whole issue of visitation rights comes up. This can put the child right in the middle of the divorce. That is why the courts dictate child visitation laws in almost every state so that there is some consistency.

In almost all cases, both parents and most close relatives end up with visitation rights, and if everyone obeys the decisions of the courts the child can still have a solid and healthy foundation of family.