Legal: Stepparents & the Law 1
Luis called with a lot of distress in his voice. “My wife of 12 years just died and I’m being told that my stepchildren, whom I love dearly, won’t be able to live with me anymore. As far as I’m concerned, I’m their father, but I’ve learned I have no legal rights to them.” It’s true. Family law protects the rights and responsibilities of married couples and biological and adoptive parents, but not stepparents. This is often a big surprise to blended families. Talk about it and plan for it.
About the Host
Ron Deal
Ron Deal is Director of FamilyLife Blended®️ for FamilyLife®️ and President of Smart Stepfamilies™️. He is a family ministry consultant and conducts marriage and family seminars around the country; he specializes in marriage education and stepfamily enrichment. He is one of the most widely read authors on stepfamily living in the country.
Episode Transcript
Ron: We expect the law to protect the rights of family members. Sometimes, it doesn’t.
Announcer: For FamilyLife Blended®, here’s Ron Deal.
Ron: Luis called with a lot of distress in his voice. “My wife of 12 years just died and now I’m being told that my stepchildren, whom I love dearly, won’t be able to live with me anymore. As far as I’m concerned, I’m their father, but I’ve learned I have no legal rights to them.”
Yeah, it’s true. Family law protects the rights and responsibilities of married couples and biological and adoptive parents, but not stepparents. Family law regarding stepfamilies is pretty ambiguous. This often comes as a big surprise to blended families, but you need to know so you can talk about it and plan for it. For FamilyLife Blended, I’m Ron Deal.
Announcer: To find out more visit familylifeblended.com.
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