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Speak Up! - View Question #152 |
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Question: What rights do stepparents have in the care of step-kids?
Answer: Stepparents have no specific rights over their stepchildren. The biological parent has decision-making authority over the children in all matters related to the child's health and upbringing. In other words, the stepparent can't consent to medical care, can't sign paperwork for school, etc.
A stepparent who has acted as parent for a child for a long time, and who is now being divorced from the biological parent, may have some visitation rights if a judge decides the relationship is in the child's best interests.
Even though the stepparent has no rights relative to the child, if the stepparent is a custodian of the child, that adult can make certain control / discipline decisions affecting the child in the absence of a biological parent. A stepmother, for example, who is taking care of the child during the father's absence on a business trip, can set curfew, mealtimes, and other rules that affect childhood discipline while the child is in the care of that adult.
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| Comments |
| 31 thru 35 of 91 comments |
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On 05/22/08
Anita from OK said:
I am the step parent of three beautiful children, 11, 9, and 7. And I have one of my own who is 1 1/2. I have been taking care of them for 4 years now. I quit my job to stay home and take care of them, when their mom dropped them off at our house with all their stuff in garbage bags. She still had visitation with them, but it gradually got less and less because of her school schedule. She constantly loves to cause trouble, and encourage the view of a wicked step mother. I don't understand this. I love these kids with all my heart. I never try to take anything away from her.
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On 04/02/08
phelps from NY said:
i am a step parent of three 11, 9 and 5. My boyfriend got divorced and since then the bio mom has tried to make it hell for us. she works as a child protective services worker and i swear to god she got this job just to work the system against us. in the beginning my boyfriend had disneyland dad and parenting by guilt; the stepkids turned around and lied on purpose (they admitted it) to child protective to "make mommy happy" the cps worker told me that i have all the responsibility yet no rights!! isn't that like taxation w/o representation?? i have no other alternative than to disengage
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On 03/26/08
Kendra from AZ said:
My kids father and I are divorced for 2 1/2 yrs now and his new wife is refusing to let me see my kids. We dont have a parenting plan, but I trusted my ex's word during the divorce. She sends my letters back and changed their number. My ex refuses to try and work things out with me for our kids. Their stepmom makes all the decisions and I dont know what to do anymore. I am a military spouse so I will be moving but I still want to see my kids and have visits with them, I dont care if I have to pay for the visit. I dont know what to do. The military doesnt pay well for me to get a lawyer.
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On 03/25/08
Ashley from AR said:
The defintely need to expand the rights of a step mother. I have been a step mother for 5 years. If asked, the children will tell anyone that I'm more of a mother to them than their biological mother. I will say, I've been allowed for the last 5 years to sign everything a their schools, doctors, and counselors.
I think that courts should take into consideration that not all step families are the same. There are some stepparents that provide (financial and emotional) more for the children than the biological parents.
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On 03/17/08
from TN said:
Hi, my sister had her four children taken away from her about a year ago. She was wrongfully accused of something she did not do. Not long after her divorce her ex-husband suddenly meets someone whom he marries....now his new wife is taking over everything in the children's lives. I have asked lawyers many times before about this..and step-parents have no legal rights.
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| 31 thru 35 of 91 comments |
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