My daughter has lived w/me from her birth & her father moved 6 hours away. I have given him time to get it together so he can contribute financially towards his daughter but 2 1/2 yrs later $0 has been paid monthly. He ends toys & clothes every couple months but no monthly payments or offer to pay due to no job... still. I take her there every 3-4 months & pay for the trip & most expenses there. I don't want to keep her from him but w/the distance I want her w/me until she's a little older. I totally support my daughter financially. Looking to get child support but he may go for 50/50 custody. Do I have to worry about visitation now or can that wait until a reasonable age? I'm in CA.

He can request visitation and will probably get it, but it won't require you to foot the bill for the whole trip each time. The court will try to make things as fair as possible.

Thanks so much for the response. Do you know if a judge will take into consideration the area she may be in as far as visitation is concerned? It is VERY dangerous where he lives & has always been. What about the fact he left when she was born. Would that be considered abandonment?

Thanks so much for the response. Do you know if a judge will take into consideration the area she may be in as far as visitation is concerned? It is VERY dangerous where he lives & has always been. What about the fact he left when she was born. Would that be considered abandonment?

No - abandonment would be him leaving the child unattended. The judge will consider what he feels is best for the child. That is his only concern. Its hard to say what factors he will consider best.

Courts tend to try to be as fair as possible and satisfy everyone the best they can.