For single mom's worrying about father's involvement(a bit long)

There are so many things I learned by researching the laws about custody. These are laws from MY state. They are almost the same in every other state, but you should definitely research the laws by state. These are for Maryland. First of all, IF THE FATHER'S NAME IS NOT ON THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE, THE MOTHER HAS FULL PRIMARY CUSTODY AND THE FATHER MUST FILE FOR PATERNITY TO GET VISITATION.  This has been stressing me out a lot, wondering if my baby's father would try to come back, but after seeing this, I'm not worried. They also don't award custody/visitation to a neglective father. If he hasn't been around or helped out, that counts as neglect. Also, if he's not around, he's considered and absent parent. Seeing the list of what is considered the best interest of the child helped me a lot. If any of you single mama's are worried, look up the reasons for awarding full custody. It made me feel so much better after getting more educated. GRANDPARENTS' VISITATION IS A THING. I didn't know this until now. This is a good thing to know about if you would like to prevent grandparent last from seeing your child. I know personally, I don't want my child around the father's parents so those laws were helpful for me. Sorry for the long and boring post. Just so relieved. I literally cried.