Should stepparents have parental rights?
Even Step Parents that arn’t raising the children full time should have Parental Rights. I am a step parent to 3 girls and I see them all the time, if my partner where to die tomorrow (lets hope he doesn’t) I wouldn’t want those kids to be taken away and I never see them again. That’s where the parental rights should take effect. It’s not fair on anyone otherwise.
It depends on what context you’re referring to. In regards to medical and educational decisions, I feel those rights should be afforded solely to the biological parents. If the step-parent is in a current relationship with the other former spouse, their input should be considered but the final decision should be left up to the child’s birth parents. If your spouse and you decide to separate, then divorce, no. Taking in account length of time the adult spent with the child, one would hope that the other would take into the consideration what is best for child when it comes to visitation. On the other side of the coin, they should not be required to provide financial support for said child. That too is the responsibility of the biological parents.
As a step mom I think that yes we should have some degree of rights. My husband signed a legal agreement that gives me guardianship of his son when he is in our care (they share 50/50). If he is at work or unavailable, then I am in charge, even if his ex is there. When his son is at his mother’s I have no legal rights, but the school / daycare understand and they do call my husband and I if there is an incident, nomatter whose care the child is in. Obvously his ex doesnt like this, but i have been in my step-son’s life for 6 years and my husband and I both think it’s dumb for me not to be able to pick him up from school / daycare or make decisions. When it comes to the big decisions (like what school we put him in or sports or Christmas time sharing) then my husband and I discuss it and come up with a few options to put forward to his ex. In the end we know it is their decision, but my husband also knows that any decision he makes will effect me and our other children, so he feels that
