![]() ![]() ![]() Now that you know the answer to the question do step-parents have rights in Texas is generally NO, what role can you play in your stepchild’s life? As someone who grew up with divorced parents and has lived the life of a stepchild myself, I can say from experience that having more than two parents isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if all parents-biological and step-are focused on loving and doing what is in the best interest of the child. Even if you don’t have step-parent rights, you do have an important role to play If you’re a stepparent who has an opinion about your stepchild, that opinion should generally be voiced during conversations between you and your spouse. To be completely honest, I don’t like representing clients with overbearing stepparent spouses and will decline the opportunity to represent a client based on that fact alone. In these situations, the courts may order the parents to direct their child not to call anyone mom or dad other than their biological parents. If the biological mom or dad is still living, and this is a bone of contention for them (which is often the case), that parent could ask the court to intervene. Some pushy stepparents also overstep by insisting their stepchild refer to them as mom or dad. Even worse, overly pushy stepparents can even undermine the co-parenting of the biological parents and create a situation that is not in the best interest of the child. In most cases, the family courts don’t really care what stepparents have to say because step-parent rights in joint custody generally don’t exist. ![]() As a family law attorney, I’ve seen many stepparents overstep the boundaries when it comes to weighing in on how co-parenting should be handled when they should keep quiet and let the biological parent take the lead. While I applaud the love, nurturing and day-to-day care genuinely concerned stepparents provide stepchildren in this country, sometimes they go too far. Stepparents play a vital role in our society but pushy stepparents should watch their step When it comes to the rights of a step-parent vs biological parent, it is the biological parent whose wishes matter and would actually be enforceable in family court, as long as those wishes coincide with the child custody arrangements and parental rights and duties dictated in the child custody orders. This is especially true if both biological parents are playing a role in the upbringing of your stepchild. If you’re a stepparent who is wondering, as a stepparent do I have rights in Texas? The answer here in the Lone Star State is generally, NO. They believe they have rights as a stepparent and should be heard-but what stepparent rights do they actually have? Many parents come to our office with their new spouse-the step-parent-who strongly voices their concerns and wants to discuss their expectations for the step-parent’s role in custody battle negotiations. Our family law lawyers in Fort Worth TX frequently get questions about step-parent rights in joint custody cases. The big question is: What legal rights does a step-parent have in Texas? ![]() Everyone-biological and stepparents-has an opinion about family dynamics and discipline in blended families. Those millions of stepchildren live with millions of stepparents and step-siblings, and those step-relationships can be challenging. Census Bureau, over 2.4 million stepchildren under the age of 18 lived in the more than 73 million U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |