http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1644613.html
In the state of California multiple people, more than two, may have legal parental authority over children if this legislation goes through.
I guess this is codifying Hillary's "Village" to raise a child.
Probably some of you think this is a good idea. I'd be interested in your reasons for that.
I don't think this is a good or bad idea. Way too early into it for that. What role will Judges be given by this? Will they have leeway? I have seen instances where step parents are more parents, then the biological. This doesn't stop visitation rights, but may mean a better situation for the child. Yet I don't want to go to extreme, either. That is why I ask are Judges given leeway?
I know of one instance now, where a child is being raised by a step grandmother. Her husband had custody after the parents died, then he died a couple years ago. What if his ex were to come back into the picture, after having nothing to do with the kid?
Can't have extremes of EITHER. IMHO
Most people will think of this in relation to gay marriage, or perhaps some of the new fertility arrangements involving surrogates/donors, but this can actually very valuable for families where a step-parent is adopting his/her step-child. (Which, at the time a sibling adopted his step-daughter, he was told was the majority of child adoption proceedings, interestingly.) For my brother to adopt his daughter, her biological father had to agree to terminate his parental rights first because legally a child could only have two parents. Now as it happened, the bio-dad was easily located and cooperative so all moved forward smoothly. But in a more contentious situation, it might be to the child's benefit for the stepparent to have parental rights even if the biological parent's rights cannot be terminated. (For instance, if the mom were ill, and the biological dad were a poor parent, then it might be best for the child for her step-dad who had raised her to have full parental rights and a stronger claim for custody if the mom died.) Under this new law, it looks like a family court judge would have to review the situation and make a call.
Whether this is a good idea overall, I don't know--family court judges would likely have to parse some really complicated situations if one of these 2+ situations broke down...
I can see good and bad in this - it's only as good as the people with parental authority are. In situations where all parties (older child being one of the parties) want this, I don't see it as a bad thing. I can also see where it could get very "complicated" when the parties involved have different ideas of what should be.
What happens now when two divorced parents have co-custody and one of the parents remarries? The step parent has no legal parental authority? The divorced parent loses legal parental authority? I would have thought they'd all have it anyway.
I think it's disgusting!
I haven't read the article, but in my childhood I was brought up by 3 people.Originally Posted by Iris lily
Divorced Mom - practicing alcoholic, abysmal, but loved us as best she was able
Divorced Dad - also alcoholic, sobered up in my early childhood, but very self-absorbed and running around doing his own thing, present for all of our sports stuff though and totally present financially
Paternal Grandmother - Glue that held it all together, made sure sis & I in church every time they opened the doors, did all of our teacher gifts, knew our friends, ironed the name tags in our clothes for camp, made sure we did our summer reading, etc.
Our family made all efforts to stay away from government as much as possible, so we weren't that hung up on legalities of custody - the realities of the situation dictated what nights we spent the night with whom.
Oh, your mom's still at happy hour even though she said she would be home when grandmother is supposed to drop you off after Wed church.. and she continually chooses this weeknight to get loaded and not come home -- guess you are spending the night with grandmother on Wednesdays.
But in our case I think if my Grandmother needed she would have had as much right (if not more) of our custody.
Maybe not on topic as related to article, but off the top of my head response based on question.
Will read article for sure, thanks for posting it.
Well, as a stepmom, I would have been reassured by this. I had all the responsibility with none of the legal authority.
"Ring the bells that still can ring.... forget your perfect offering. There's a crack in everything... that's how the Light gets in." ~Leonard Cohen
How would this law have made your parent, already responsible for you, to act in a responsible way?
But in today's world with gay marriage sanctioned and etc, wouldn't you have had the legal environment to go for parental rights?
What is preventing step grandmother from going for custody now? Who actually has legal custody of the child now?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Learn more about New Road Map Foundation