Divorce Advice for Men | Fathers Rights Divorce | Child Custody

Question:

What are the child custody laws pertaining to stepparent visitation rights?

Is there a chance that a stepfather could receive visitation with his stepchild post-divorce?

The child's biological father is no longer in the picture and the stepfather is the only Dad he knows. Can child custody agreements be formally worked out with stepparents?

Question:

I'm looking for advice on divorce to handle a delicate co-parenting situation.

My ex-wife has primary child custody of her daughter, my stepdaughter. While living in her home, my ex-wife is allowing her daughter (who is a minor) to have sex in the house.

I am not of the opinion that she should let boys spend the night in bed with my underage stepdaughter.

Would this be basis for modifying our child custody agreements even though I am not her biological parent?

Question:

I need some marriage separation advice on how to handle my children's sleeping arrangements and if there is an issue of child neglect while my wife and I are going through our divorce.

She is allowing my minor stepdaughter, who is 17, to spend the night in the same bed with her boyfriend in "our" house, although I am not living there.

Is this considered a form of parental neglect?

By Jennifer Knudtson

Board Member, Children’s Rights Council of Illinois

My journey with support groups started shortly after I married, when I joined one for stepmoms.

The reassurance I felt from having other faces in the room, all nodding in agreement while I spoke about our blended family issues, was immeasurable. 

My husband David's divorce and child custody case was highly contentious and went to trial.

As I watched my husband's case unfold in the family law court system, my eyes were opened to the many opportunities for reform including the "winner take all" mentality that subverts the children's needs to that of the parents. 

By Julie Garrison

Special to DadsDivorce.com

With one out of every two marriages ending in divorce, statistics indicate both divorced partners will probably remarry at least once. 

Even though a stepparent may participate in all aspects of raising his stepchild, the "unofficial" parenting by a stepparent is rarely factored into legal decisions made on behalf of the child.

Additionally, no uniform treatment of the stepparent-stepchild relationship exists in the United States.