Well none of us know what this man has or hadn’t been through in the last five years. Sometimes it takes awhile to grow up. Ask for supervised visits, since your son doesn’t know him. However the courts will not deny him the chance to see his son, if he proves he is willing to try an be in his life
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Does the Child have an interest in getting to know his Dad? The More support and Love your Child has the better off they will be. Set it it with the court maybe family mediation supervised visits.
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Take him to court or have him take you. So all is documented and no blurred lines. Also (if you’re not getting already) mention that you’d like to bring up child support to a judge if he wants to be a part of child’s life. My sister did that & hasn’t heard from him in 5 years
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Been there! They will probably do supervised visitations, that’s if he’s clean and does not have a criminal background.
Courts xxxxx. Their position is child support and visitation are two different things one does not negate the other. Best to make him prove fitness, mental stability before allowing visitation since he was MIA. Courts may side with order and order a psych evaluation if you show grounds. Also if this is now COVID pretty much going to rule out immediate visitation I would hope during lockdowns, if and when ask for covid tests prior to visits if still no vaccine. .
Currently going threw this now… my step sons mom showed up 6 years later demanding a relationship and visitation… courts gave her what she wanted
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Take him to court forst and get him for child abandonment and get his rights terminated!!!
I’d want to know why the sudden change of heart.
I’d take him to meet him, but I wouldn’t introduce him as his Dad. He hasn’t earned that yet.
I’d want to see proof over time that he isn’t going to disappear again, before I told him that he is his Dad.
My sons Dad has seen him maybe 5 times in 10 years. Last time being 6 years ago. If he came back now, I’d tell him to go scratch. He has a Dad that has been around since he was 10 months old. That is the only Dad he knows.
Plus, he isn’t on the birth certificate, so…there’s that!
In some states you can file and abandonment and have all his parental rights taken from him.
Since he was away for so long with no contact, I believe that’s a case for abandonment on his part and it would be a strike against him in court.
Definitely contact a lawyer and explain what is going on. File first before he does!
Offer him couple hrs neutral place (park or something) couple times then take it from there.but absolutely file for custody first .if he on birth cert that all he needs. been there!!!
My ex came back looking for the kids about 7 years later and I let them because while I was trying to protect them from a heart break they blamed me for breaking up home. Real quick after getting to know him they understood why I left and took them
Call a lawyer - the court won’t take kindly to him missing for five years.
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File before he does for abandonment he will loose his rights if he files 1st your screwed
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Unless he’s a danger to your child, talk to him about letting you facilitate them meeting then supervise visits until they’ve built a relationship. He messed up, he should’ve done this long ago but do you want to have to explain to your son that he tried to know and love him and you refused to let him?
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Let him take you to court. Here is what I would do.
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Inform him you don’t mind the visitation but since our son doesn’t know him make it supervised by a licensed center in your town that he has to pay for to start to show he is serious.
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Once he has made consistent supervised visits after a set amount of time work day visits unsupervised in your hometown into the custody agreement.
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After consistent visits, about a year (supervised and unsupervised) go to weekend visits and then to longer visits.
No judge is going to allow him to take your child for extended periods after such a long time. Show you are willing to work with the dad but want steps to show he is serious and willing to get to know your child before long visits since he is a stranger.
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so apparently he hadnt paid child support,i would make sure he has supervised visits sine your son doesnt know him and take him to support court ,maybe he will disapear for another 12 yrs!
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I think if there is a chance for him to have a great dad it would be worth it i know he hasn’t seen him but maybe he has changed i wish I would have known my dad
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Yep my daughter just turned 7 her dad got a lawyer on her birthday last year making it look like it won’t let him see her. Me being nice I said he could have every other weekend. Now I’m regretting it.
As sad as it is that he wasn’t in the child’s life before. Every child deserves to know both parents as long as he’s not abusive.
Go to court.
He abandoned that child. He doesn’t get to just take him for a weekend because he got a wild hair in his ass.
My husband hasn’t seen his daughter in 9 years and she’s 10. She didn’t know him but was always told he was her dad. 
I made initial contact for them to get to know each other. Her mother is happy that her daughter can have ANY type of contact with him. She’s in New Jersey and we’re in Chicago so once this Covid is over we plan on visiting in person.
What if he’s a pedo and only want visitation rights so he can molest his own son 
Try 13 yrs later after denying her the entire time she was little
I would let him take you to court, he might be bluffing, I would just tell him to be ready to pay child support honestly…
Talk yo a lawyer about it
He will also have to pay child support, possibly 5 years back support. Ask his doctor the best way to safely start this relationship and follow that, take those orders to court. I would only do supervised to start
a good honest parent would want the child to know the other parent if the father is now fit and healthy to parent the child it should be encouraged fathers and mothers are important its never about the parents rights its about the childs rights he needs to have very good answers why he was absent so long
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Maybe the father is finally getting his crap together. Every father that wants a chance should have the chance to see their child unless they are abusive. Your child will decide on their own what to think of daddy. May love him. May resent him for being gone so long. It is best though for kids to have both their parents when possible. My mother got with a guy and abandoned us for a couple years. My parents let her back in my life when she wanted back in. I was upset with her awhile but I love my mom now. Sometimes people aren’t perfect and make horrible mistakes. Maybe your kid’s dad comes back and is a great dad now. Maybe he was too young when you first had your child and scared. You should have a deep talk with him about why he left and what made him come back now, and try not to be jealous if he is with another woman and finally got it together. We have to be adults and put our emotions aside for the sake of our children’s health. Parents don’t have to like each other but should get along for sake of children. Good luck! I hope he becomes a great father.
If the father has had no contact for 2 years it’s abandonment and has no legal rights.
I am going through this now. Was told by my lawyer that if he decides to go through court, we will be filing abandonment as the reason for no visitation. But, I’m also letting him see the kids whenever the kids want. With supervision for now.
Supervision visits and say take me to court
File for full custody get child support back support to then see if he still wants visitation
I made the biggest mistake allowing my boys dad to walk in after 3 years he lied to his family pretending he didnt know they were his yet at I have proof he was invited to each birthday with his plus one or fam, he only wanted to be apart of their life because his gf left him. He then clung to the thought of them expecting 50/50 critising me as a mother and then tried to threaten me with court, he found a new gf dodnt show to court and now has minimal to.do with them only sees them if his mum does. Waste of time really, let the courts decide and get something in writing from the start that prevents him from tryna barge in.
Not my son but my nephew. His dad really did not look for him. My sister was lenient and did allow him in and out of his life. It really messed up my nephew. Let him take you to court. let him prove that he wants your son in his life and recommend counseling first and that he completes parenting classes. I wish my sister had done this. My nephew is now 19. If he doesn’t comply with the visitation orders then terminate visitation. It sounds harsh but I’d definitely put that in writing
Kids have a right to make up their own minds about the other parent.
Talk to a lawyer dont know what state u are in but in ms if they go longer than 12 months without any contact Mississippi law calls that abandonment
My sons father texted me the day after he signed away visitation rights, wanting visitation! LO was 8 at this time, and the douche had never even seen him before.
Some states he wouldn’t be obligated to bring him back without a court order in place or else I’d say just let him see him.
Ask on Legal Talk SA!
Go through the court system