Step Parent Adoptions
People seem to think that families only come in one kind. The nuclear family – two kids and their biological parents living happily ever after in their homes. This is not always the case however. Families have always come in many different shapes and sizes, there is no law that says they have to look one certain way. There is also no law that says they have to be the same family for the whole entire duration of their lives. You can find family where ever you look to find it. Because you can choose family and who you include in that. That is why adoptions and divorces are options. Couples with children get divorced, the presence of children will not prevent the two parents from falling out of love. However, while those first families did not work, that does not mean that people cannot find love elsewhere and new families. When parents remarry it can be a hard time but sometimes it is for the best. The child may become so attached to the new addition to the family that they start to refer to their parent’s new partner as family – calling either him or her mummy or daddy. This can also be applied to the new partner. They can feel that the child is also their kid, even if there is no biological bond there. There does not need to be a biological connection to link family. With this in mind, many step parents look to become the legal guardian of their step child by adopting them, thereby giving them legal rights over that child and meaning they can have a whole new host of possibilities as well as responsibilities over that child. While they were always family, this just means that everything is legal and above board.
There are several components involved when it comes to step parent adoptions. It can be tricky to know how to start the process. Depending on where you live, there are some general rules to abide by, for example most governments will not allow a step parent to adopt their step child until they have been married to the biological parent for a year or more. One of the biggest rules to work through in step parent adoption is that consent is required from the other absent parent before the adoption can begin to take place. Of course this rule is not valid if the child’s other biological parent has passed away. The very first thing to do is always check out the government laws in your area and research what exactly you will need as these things vary. After that you have to obtain the correct legal forms required to process the adoption and contact your court. This paperwork will undoubtedly take quite a while to fill out and submit to the courts as the forms will be detailed and lengthy. After that you must appear in court, finalize the adoption and amend all of the child’s paperwork.
Articles Source: http://www.ccbreliance.com/lifestyle/step-parent-adoptions/