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Termination of Parental Rights

TheSaneOne's picture

Termination of Parental Rights of the NCP

My husband and I are interested in terminating the rights of our two kids (my step and his step).
Before anyone jumps at PAS – please hear me out. Because this is a decision that will impact our children’s lives I am asking for opinions and I will take them all into consideration. No, I am not one to make decisions based solely on the advice of people I have never met I do appreciate the insight as to what people in like situations would do.
Here is our reasons for wanting this termination as well as our basis for such.

Background first – my BD14, BS 11, and BD 7 live with us. My SS12 from Dh’s 1st marriage lives with us. Two step-daughters that live out of state and we have reasonable visitation with (7 & 3) My DH adopted my BS11 – he has never seen his BF. He wishes to adopt BS14 and BD7’s BF is in her life. I wish to adopt SS12 .
First, my BD is 14 – her father pays child support monthly and has never missed a payment. He had nothing to do with her the first nine years of her life and then sued me for custody once child support was ordered. I have full custody and he has “visitation rights only”. This was five years ago. He picked her up for maybe three visits and hasn’t picked her up since. She maintains a very close relationship with his grandmother. She speaks to his mother on occasion when she is at the great grandmothers. They never call her and he hasn’t even laid eyes on her in over three years. He will however send her a giftcard on her birthday and Christmas (this comes from his mother – and she pays the child support in an account bearing both of their names). My husband wishes to adopt her because they have that typr of relationship. She has recently been going through her early teenage issues and is seeking male approval. She strongly desires to have our last name and make the man she sees as the only father she has ever had in her life her legal father. We strongly desire that should something happen to me to where I became disabled or deceased that he would retain custody and could keep the majority of our children together.

This is the very same reason I wish to adopt my SS as his DH has had custody of him since he was 4 months old. This is joint custody due to the state in which they lived. BM and DH have resided in the same state since SS was about two. He says she has sold drugs around him. She hasn’t work since I have been married to him, doesn’t have a vehicle, doesn’t maintain contact with him. She hasn’t seen or spoken to him in almost a year. Abandonment in our state is 6 months. She has never assisted in the support of this child and support wasn’t order when he was with her 50/50 – which has never been the case. She has always came in and out of his life. She has called twice and my SS has told her until she gets clean (bi-polar and alcoholic) that he will not go back to see her and doesn’t wish to talk to her since she won’t clean up her act. He is scared to be around her and the BF – (met in AA – he had DUI)
That being said she is not able or willing to support him or even attempt to restore that mother/son relationship.

SO, both cases fit the tests to terminate right, voluntarily or not……..feedbacK?

Comments

frustratedinMA's picture

It sounds like your family is already in fact as you want it on paper. I think to unite your whole family and let those kids know how truly loved they are by the real parents in their lives that you should go ahead.

TheSaneOne's picture

Thank you so much for your comment. I would never want to do anything to hurt any of my children. When my husband and I met he ahd just gotten divorced and was raising his son alone, again. He works crazy hours sometimes but Iam home. He moved in shortly after we met becuase I couldn't stand my SS being at a babysitter so often when my DH was on call. We spoke to the kids first, explained our reasons why and they all jumped on it. THose four always refer to each other as bro and sis and my kids call him dad and my ss calls me mom at school, etc. If he is sick, needs a mom, etc, he calls me (even over dad sometimes) the same can be said for my daughter. My husband began my son's legal father right before Christmas last year and m son was estatic to get that info as a present.
Our main point is that we worry that he wouldn't be able to stay should something happen to my husband and he has expressed desire for us to terminate rights. He knows I am a paralegal and as such has asked about us being able to go to court so he doesn't have to see his mom ever again.
Pray for our family and that if it be the right thing to do that it happens.
Thank you again.

JaxStarryNite's picture

in fact, I applaud you. Obviously you love the kids, bio- or step, and I think it's wonderful that you have so much love in your family. If only their were more parents step, bio, or otherwise that put their children first like you are. Good for you, SaneOne. Wink

smurfy1smile's picture

My SO adopted my BD12 recently. Her bio-dad has never been in the picture and my SO feels every kid should have a dad. They are so much alike its a little weird sometimes. They are both tall with blue eyes and very curly hair. BD12 added his last name to the rest of her name. Its kind of funny now since in age order by last name we are (not our real last names) Smith, Johnson, Smith, Smith Johnson, Smith, Johnson - we are even girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, boy and all our birthdays are with 28 days. I guess you could say we were made to be together.

Sita Tara's picture

Especially if the kids are wanting it done, to feel secure. And most importantly, because if something happens to one of you then the other one's rights are in jeopardy. A good friend of mine died at age 33 of a heart problem. She left behind a 10 year old daughter who's father ran out on them when she was around 2. That BF showed up out of the blue and fought for custody when my friend passed. Her grieving husband, who had been around since his SD was 3 or so, had to dump all the money he had into fighting to keep his SD. In the end he won custody but the court did give visitation. How scary would that be for his SD after just losing her mom.

So I really recommend in this situation that you do what you can to protect everyone- you and the kids.

Peace, love, and red wine