our daughter had our granddaughter out of wedlock when she was 16 years old. the father wants nothing to do with them. we (the grandparents) have raised the child (now 2 1/2 years) from birth with little help from the mother. the mother now marries a man that she met over the internet and only knew for a very short time and is in the army. shortly after marriage they moved to texas and leaves the child with the grandparents. there is little communication from the mother to the child and little financial support to the grandparents. the mother now says they are coming to get the child in may. this is ripping our heart out out. please help!!
2007-03-15 03:44:29 · 5 answers · asked by jlynn 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Why are you asking a question like this on a Yahoo board?
You need to seek the help of a lawyer who practices family law.
2007-03-15 03:54:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Get a lawyer!!!!! NOW!!! If you can provide proof that the mother, for all intents and purposes, abandonded the child, you may have a case to legally adopt. I'm not sure, because I'm not familiar with the laws in your state, but do everything you can to keep that little girl safe!!!! If you think the mother won't take care of her, by all means FIGHT IT TOOTH AND NAIL!!!! However, if you think she will be taken care of now, then work something out with your daughter on visitation. That little girl should have her mother, regardless of how she acted in the past. If she is able and willing now, then the right thing to do (even though it would be the most painful thing to do) is to give her back to the mother. Above all else, be understanding and don't judge. Everyone has their bad (sometimes terrible) points and regrets. We all need to be a little bit more accepting of that! My prayers are with you and may God give your grandaughter peace, joy and strength. Blessings!
2007-03-15 11:04:23 · answer #2 · answered by Dorkapotamus 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know where you live, but you could win this in my state. You do need to go to a lawyer and obtain legal guardianship over your granddaughter. There are 2 ways different ways the states look at this. We use the "best interest of the child" doctrine. Other states use that doctrine combined with the doctrine of parental rights. Look for an atty who specializes in domestic relations or family law. It's really hard to answer this here. My state has specific statutes on grandparents' rights. You need a local atty.
2007-03-15 11:03:53 · answer #3 · answered by David M 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I myself am living under constant threat of this happening. My wife and I have two of our grandchildren, we have full custody. My stepdaughter is mentally ill and refuses to take her medication. She goes months at a time without calling, letting us know where she is. when she does call, it's because she needs something, and SHE NEVER asks about the children. The oldest is 5 and the youngest is a little over a year old. we are in court over the year old. she had custody of him for the first three months, until someone called the police on her because she threatened to drown the boy in a bathtub to someone over the phone. The boy was removed, and placed with us.
The court seems hell-bent on giving her every opportunity to get BOTH her children back, even despite the fact she has been evicted from her subsidized apartment ($89 a month was too much of a burden for her to pay) and she is now sleeping on people's sofas; despite the fact that the five year old BARELY even knows her; depsite the fact that she has made violent scenes in the court room when she thought things weren't going her way and had to be removed from the courtroom by the deputy sherriff. This has been dragging on for over a year now, so i feel for you.
Get a good family attorney. Hopefully you documented EVERY irresponsible act your daughter ever commited. You have to be prepared to go to war over your daughter over this, that's the only way you are going to win.
Good luck! and wish us luck as well.
2007-03-15 11:03:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It a tuff question. I think grandparents should have had a guarding ship from the mother and this way the grandparents would have to release there rights back to the mother.
In court, I would think the mother would win if she did not give you gaurding ship.
2007-03-15 10:56:10 · answer #5 · answered by allen w 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋